Measurement of Radiative Proton Capture on F18 and Implications for Oxygen-Neon Novae

June 2013 • 2013PhRvL.110z2502A

Authors • Akers, C. • Laird, A. M. • Fulton, B. R. • Ruiz, C. • Bardayan, D. W. • Buchmann, L. • Christian, G. • Davids, B. • Erikson, L. • Fallis, J. • Hager, U. • Hutcheon, D. • Martin, L. • Murphy, A. St. J. • Nelson, K. • Spyrou, A. • Stanford, C. • Ottewell, D. • Rojas, A.

Abstract • The rate of the F18(p,γ)Ne19 reaction affects the final abundance of the γ-ray observable radioisotope F18, produced in novae. However, no successful measurement of this reaction exists and the rate used is calculated from incomplete information on the contributing resonances. Of the two resonances thought to play a significant role, one has a radiative width estimated from the assumed analogue state in the mirror nucleus, F19. The second does not have an analogue state assignment at all, resulting in an arbitrary radiative width being assumed. Here, we report the first successful direct measurement of the F18(p,γ)Ne19 reaction. The strength of the 665 keV resonance (E_x=7.076MeV) is found to be over an order of magnitude weaker than currently assumed in nova models. Reaction rate calculations show that this resonance therefore plays no significant role in the destruction of F18 at any astrophysical energy.

Links

• ELECTR http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevLett.110.262502