Speaker
Description
The reaction 22Ne(α,γ)26Mg is associated with several open questions in nuclear astrophysics and plays a crucial role in constraining stellar models. Among other scenarios, it is pivotal in the creation of elements heavier than iron. A reliable evaluation of the stellar reaction rate at the energy of astrophysical interest must consider all the possible excited states of the compound nucleus 26Mg.
Due to very low stellar energies and therefore very low cross sections direct experiments in surface laboratories have so far only provided highly uncertain data.
As first step, an indirect measurement of 22Ne(α,γ)26Mg reaction will be held to probe the excited states of 26Mg in the astrophysically relevant energy range.
The 26Mg states will be selectively populated via the α-transfer reaction in inverse kinematics 7Li(22Ne, t)26Mg. The triple coincidence among the recoil mass separator EMMA, the highly segmented tracking gamma-ray spectrometer TIGRESS and silicon detectors for the light ejectile allows for the extraction of the properties of the populated excited level of 26Mg and hence the identification of potential α-cluster configurations around the particle threshold energy.
The measurements will be performed at the TRIUMF laboratory in Vancouver, Canada and represent a first step for the evaluation of the cross-section measurements for 22Ne(α,γ)26Mg, followed by a direct measurement in the reduced background environment provided by the Bellotti Ion Beam Facility at LNGS, Italy. A detailed simulation of the setup to be used underground is ongoing and first tests of the gamma-ray detectors will start this spring. We present the current status of the project and an overview of the planned TRIUMF experiment.
