Toward an experimentally determined Al26m(p,γ)Si27 reaction rate in ONe novae

Strong evidence of the nucleosynthesis of Galactic Al26 has been found through measurements involving excesses in Mg26 from the decay of Al26 in meteoritic inclusions and the 1.809-MeV γ-ray line detected by satellites such as CGRO and INTEGRAL. Several sites for the production of Al26 have been suggested, including ONe novae. Destruction of Al26 in ONe novae is possible via the reactions Al26^g(p,γ)Si27 and Al26^m(p,γ)Si27. In the present work, resonance parameters for the Al26^m(p,γ)Si27 reaction have been determined via studies of the Al27(He3,t)Si27^*(p)Al26^m and Si28(He3,α)Si27^*(p)Al26^m reactions. Several new Al26^m+p resonances have been discovered within 1 MeV above the proton threshold of 7.691 MeV. Excitation energies and proton-branching ratios for those and previously known states are reported.