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Description
The observation of $\gamma$-ray decays from the radioative isotope $^{44}$Ti makes it one of the significant isotopes in the diagnosis of core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe) explosions [1]. The abundance of $^{44}$Ti from CCSNe explosions has been shown to be strongly dependent on the $^{44}$Ti($\alpha,p$)$^{47}$V reaction rate, which destroys $^{44}$Ti [2]. Direct measurements of the $^{44}$Ti($\alpha,p$)$^{47}$V reaction within the Gamow window ($E_{\mathrm{c.m.}}$ = 2 - 6 MeV) have been challenging due to the low cross sections and insufficient radioactive ion beam intensities [3,4]. As a result, the reaction rate is still based on statistical models, which may not be reliable for $\alpha$-induced reactions on $N$=$Z$ nuclei due to the lower effective level density in the compound nucleus. To get the necessary experimental constraints of the $^{44}$Ti($\alpha,p$)$^{47}$V reaction such as the level density and branching ratios of the compound nucleus, $^{48}$Cr, a high-resolution 0$^\circ$ $^{50}$Cr($p,t$)$^{48}$Cr coincidence measurement was performed using the K600 magnetic spectrometer and an array of five double-sided silicon detectors called CAKE. Preliminary results from the coincidence measurements will be presented.
This work is based on the research supported in part by the National Research Foundation of South Africa (NRF) doctoral postgraduate scholarship (UID 141287) and NRF grants 85509 and 118846, as well as the Southern African Institute for Nuclear Technology and Sciences (SAINTS) Prestigious Doctoral Scholarship.
[1] S. Woosley and R.D. Hoffman, The Astrophysical Journal, vol. 368, pp. L31-L34, (1991)
[2] L.S. The et al., The Astrophysical Journal, vol. 504, pp. 500-515, (1998)
[3] A. Sonzogni et al., Physics Review Letters, vol. 84, no. 8, p. 1651, (2000)
[4] V. Margerin et al., Physical Letters B, vol. 731, pp. 358-361, (2014)
