Measurement of 23Na(α,p)26Mg at Energies Relevant to 26Al Production in Massive Stars.
26Al is an important radioisotope in astrophysics that provides evidence of ongoing nucleosynthesis in the Galaxy. The 23Na(α, p)26Mg reaction has been identified by a sensitivity study as being one of the most important reactions for the production of 26Al in the convective C/Ne burning shell of massive stars. Owing to large uncertainties in previous experimental data, model calculations are used for the reaction rate of 23Na(α, p)26Mg in this sensitivity study. Current experimental data suggest a reaction rate a factor of ∼40 higher than model calculations. However, a new measurement of this reaction cross section has been made in inverse kinematics in the energy range E(c.m.)=1.28-3.15  MeV at TRIUMF, and found to be in reasonable agreement with the model calculation. A new reaction rate is calculated and tight constraints on the uncertainty in the production of 26Al, due to this reaction, are determined.
The University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5DD, United Kingdom.
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Tomlinson
TRIUMF, 4004 Westbrook Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 2A3, Canada.
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Fallis
The University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5DD, United Kingdom.
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Laird
The University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5DD, United Kingdom.
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Fox
The University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5DD, United Kingdom.|TRIUMF, 4004 Westbrook Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 2A3, Canada.
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Akers
TRIUMF, 4004 Westbrook Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 2A3, Canada.
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Alcorta
The University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5DD, United Kingdom.
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Bentley
TRIUMF, 4004 Westbrook Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 2A3, Canada.
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Christian
TRIUMF, 4004 Westbrook Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 2A3, Canada.
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Davids
School of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Edinburgh, James Clerk Maxwell Building, Mayfield Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FD, United Kingdom.
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Davinson
The University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5DD, United Kingdom.
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Fulton
TRIUMF, 4004 Westbrook Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 2A3, Canada.
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Galinski
TRIUMF, 4004 Westbrook Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 2A3, Canada.
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Rojas
TRIUMF, 4004 Westbrook Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 2A3, Canada.
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Ruiz
Institut de Physique Nucléaire d'Orsay, IN2P3-CNRS and Univ Paris-Sud, F-91405 Orsay Cedex, France.
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de Séréville
TRIUMF, 4004 Westbrook Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 2A3, Canada.
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Shen
School of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Edinburgh, James Clerk Maxwell Building, Mayfield Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FD, United Kingdom.
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