Active Target Measurement of the <sup>25,26</sup>Mg(α,n)<sup>28,29</sup>Si Total Cross Section
ORAL
Abstract
The observation of gamma rays from the decay of 26Al provides direct evidence of ongoing nucleosynthesis in the galaxy. While the observed distribution of 26Al points to massive stars as the main production site, the underlying nuclear processes are uncertain. Two reactions contributing to the uncertainty of 26Al production are the 25Mg(α,n)28Si and 26Mg(α,n)29Si reactions. While previous measurements have been made, discrepant data has led to uncertainties in the reaction rates of 59% and 29% (for 25Mg and 26Mg respectively) for C/Ne burning in massive stars. To resolve these uncertainties, a measurement of the 25,26Mg(α,n)28.29Si total cross section was performed with a new Active Target Detector at The University of Notre Dame’s Nuclear Science Lab. Results of this measurement will be discussed.
*Research sponsored by NSF grant number PHY-2011890 and by the University of Notre Dame.
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Presenters
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Drew Blankstein
- University of Notre Dame