Speaker
Description
Type I X-ray bursts and classical novae are powered by thermonuclear reactions on the surface of accreting compact objects, where breakout reactions from the hot CNO cycle play a critical role. One such reaction is ¹⁴O(α,p)¹⁷F, which at typical novae temperatures is dominated by a resonant state at Ex = 6.15 MeV in ¹⁸Ne. While the energy and spin of this resonance are well established, its decay scheme remains uncertain, with previous studies reporting inconsistent results for a possible two-proton (2p) decay branch.
To investigate the decay modes from excited states in ¹⁸Ne, a resonant scattering experiment was performed at TRIUMF using the Active Target and Time Projection Chamber (ACTAR TPC). A radioactive ¹⁷F beam with an energy of 5.5 MeV/u was delivered into a hydrogen-based gas mixture, allowing simultaneous detection of charged reaction products. The use of a TPC is essential as it enables full kinematic reconstruction of events and unambiguous particle identification for single-proton, two-proton, and α decay channels.
In this presentation, I will present the experimental approach, track reconstruction techniques, and ongoing analysis aimed at constraining the relative contributions of different decay modes of the 6.15 MeV resonance in ¹⁸Ne.
This work was performed in collaboration with GANIL (France) and TRIUMF (Canada).
| Keyword-1 | Nuclear Astrophysics |
|---|---|
| Keyword-2 | Resonant Scattering |
| Keyword-3 | ACTAR TPC |