The Beta-Delayed Proton and Gamma Decay of 27P for Nuclear Astrophysics
ORAL
Abstract
The main creation site of $^{26}$Al is currently under debate. The reactions for its creation or destruction are also not completely known. When $^{26}$Al is created in novae, the reaction chain is: $^{24}$Mg(p,$\gamma)^{25}$Al($\beta +$v)$^{25}$Mg(p,$\gamma)^{26}$Al, but this chain can be by-passed by another chain: $^{25}$Al(p,$\gamma)^{26}$Si(p,$\gamma)^{27}$P and it can also be destroyed directly. Another way to by-pass it is through $^{26m}$Al(p,$\gamma)^{27}$Si* which is dominated by resonant capture. Using the Momentum Achromat Recoil Spectrometer (MARS) at the Texas A\&M Cyclotron Institute and inverse kinematics, this destruction reaction was studied by the beta-delayed proton and gamma decay of $^{27}$P. Due to selection rules, states populated above the proton threshold in the compound system ($^{27}$Si*) can decay to $^{26m}$Al, which are the states of interest for the capture reaction.
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