Background $alpha$-nucleus potentials play an essential role for the calculation of $alpha$-induced reaction cross sections at low energies in the statistical model. Uncertainties of these calculations are related to ambiguities in the adjustment of the potential parameters to experimental elastic scattering angular distributions (typically at higher energies) and to the energy dependence of the effective $alpha$-nucleus potentials. Purpose The present work studies cross sections of $alpha$-induced reactions for $^{64}$Zn at low energies and their dependence on the chosen input parameters of the statistical model calculations. The new experimental data from the recent Atomki experiments allow for a $chi^2$-based estimate of the uncertainties of calculated cross sections at very low energies. Method The recent data for the ($alpha$,$gamma$), ($alpha$,$n$), and ($alpha$,$p$) reactions on $^{64}$Zn are compared to calculations in the statistical model. A survey of the parameter space of the widely used computer code TALYS is given, and the properties of the obtained $chi^2$ landscape are discussed. Results The best fit to the experimental data at low energies shows $chi^2/F approx 7.7$ per data point which corresponds to an average deviation of about 30% between the best fit and the experimental data. Several combinations of the various ingredients of the statistical model are able to reach a reasonably small $chi^2/F$, not exceeding the best-fit result by more than a factor of 2. Conclusions The present experimental data for $^{64}$Zn in combination with the statistical model calculations allow to constrain the astrophysical reaction rate within about a factor of 2. However, the significant excess of $chi^2/F$ of the best-fit from unity asks for further improvement of the statistical model calculations and in particular the $alpha$-nucleus potential.
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