Key Ne19 States Identified Affecting γ-Ray Emission from F18 in Novae

M. R. Hall et al.
Phys. Rev. Lett. 122, 052701 – Published 7 February 2019

Abstract

Detection of nuclear-decay γ rays provides a sensitive thermometer of nova nucleosynthesis. The most intense γ-ray flux is thought to be annihilation radiation from the β+ decay of F18, which is destroyed prior to decay by the F18(p,α)O15 reaction. Estimates of F18 production had been uncertain, however, because key near-threshold levels in the compound nucleus, Ne19, had yet to be identified. We report the first measurement of the F19(He3,tγ)Ne19 reaction, in which the placement of two long-sought 3/2+ levels is suggested via triton-γγ coincidences. The precise determination of their resonance energies reduces the upper limit of the rate by a factor of 1.5–17 at nova temperatures and reduces the average uncertainty on the nova detection probability by a factor of 2.1.

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  • Received 17 August 2018
  • Revised 15 November 2018

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.122.052701

© 2019 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Nuclear Physics

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Vol. 122, Iss. 5 — 8 February 2019

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