Measurement of the Ne18(α,p0)Na21 Reaction Cross Section in the Burning Energy Region for X-Ray Bursts
Abstract
The Ne18(α,p)Na21 reaction provides one of the main HCNO-breakout routes into the rp process in x-ray bursts. The Ne18(α,p0)Na21 reaction cross section has been determined for the first time in the Gamow energy region for peak temperatures T∼2GK by measuring its time-reversal reaction Na21(p,α)Ne18 in inverse kinematics. The astrophysical rate for ground-state to ground-state transitions was found to be a factor of 2 lower than Hauser-Feshbach theoretical predictions. Our reduced rate will affect the physical conditions under which breakout from the HCNO cycles occurs via the Ne18(α,p)Na21 reaction.
- Publication:
-
Physical Review Letters
- Pub Date:
- June 2012
- DOI:
- 10.1103/PhysRevLett.108.242701
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1202.6650
- Bibcode:
- 2012PhRvL.108x2701S
- Keywords:
-
- 25.60.-t;
- 25.45.Hi;
- 26.30.Ca;
- Reactions induced by unstable nuclei;
- Transfer reactions;
- Explosive burning in accreting binary systems;
- Nuclear Experiment
- E-Print:
- 5 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication on Physical Review Letters