Cross Section Measurements of the 12C(α , γ)16O Reaction at Ec.m. = 3 . 7 , 4 . 0 , and 4 . 2 MeV
Abstract
The 12C(α , γ)16O reaction is one of the most important nuclear reactions in astrophysics, as it determines the C/O ratio at the end of the helium burning in red giant stars. This ratio has significant effects for the subsequent stellar evolution and supernova explosions. We have used the DRAGON recoil separator for the measurements of the 12C(α , γ)16O reaction at the higher energies of Ec.m. = 3 . 7 , 4 . 0 , and 4 . 2 MeV. The measurements will constrain global R-Matrix fits by providing information on high energy levels, aiding the extrapolation to helium burning energies. The experiment was performed in inverse kinematics where a 12C beam was impinged on windowless He gas target surrounded by 30 BGO detectors which detect the γ-rays. The 16O recoils were detected by a double-sided silicon strip detector located at the end of the DRAGON separator. The array of BGO detectors is able to separate transitions to various 16O final states.
This work was supported in part by the U.S. Department of Energy, under Grant Nos. DE-FG02-88ER40387 and DE-NA0002905.- Publication:
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APS April Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- 2018
- Bibcode:
- 2018APS..APRS11002G