Exploiting Isospin Symmetry to Study the Role of Isomers in Stellar Environments

S Hallam; G Lotay; A Gade; D T Doherty; J Belarge; P C Bender; B A Brown; J Browne; W N Catford; B Elman; A Estradé; M R Hall; B Longfellow; E Lunderberg; F Montes; M Moukaddam; P O'Malley; W-J Ong; H Schatz; D Seweryniak; K Schmidt; N K Timofeyuk; D Weisshaar; R G T Zegers

doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.126.042701

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Exploiting Isospin Symmetry to Study the Role of Isomers in Stellar Environments

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Exploiting Isospin Symmetry to Study the Role of Isomers in Stellar Environments

S Hallam, G Lotay, A Gade, D T Doherty, J Belarge, P C Bender, B A Brown, J Browne, W N Catford, B Elman, …

Physical review letters, Vol.126(4), 042701

29/01/2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.126.042701

PMID: 33576674

Abstract

Proton capture on the excited isomeric state of ^{26}Al strongly influences the abundance of ^{26}Mg ejected in explosive astronomical events and, as such, plays a critical role in determining the initial content of radiogenic ^{26}Al in presolar grains. This reaction also affects the temperature range for thermal equilibrium between the ground and isomeric levels. We present a novel technique, which exploits the isospin symmetry of the nuclear force, to address the long-standing challenge of determining proton-capture rates on excited nuclear levels. Such a technique has in-built tests that strongly support its veracity and, for the first time, we have experimentally constrained the strengths of resonances that dominate the astrophysical ^{26m}Al(p,γ)^{27}Si reaction. These constraints demonstrate that the rate is at least a factor ∼8 lower than previously expected, indicating an increase in the stellar production of ^{26}Mg and a possible need to reinvestigate sensitivity studies involving the thermal equilibration of ^{26}Al.

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Title: Exploiting Isospin Symmetry to Study the Role of Isomers in Stellar Environments
Creators: S Hallam - University of Surrey, School of Maths and Physics
G Lotay - University of Surrey, School of Maths and Physics
A Gade - Joint Institute for Nuclear Astrophysics, Center for the Evolution of the Elements, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
D T Doherty - University of Surrey, School of Maths and Physics
J Belarge - National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
P C Bender - National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
B A Brown - Joint Institute for Nuclear Astrophysics, Center for the Evolution of the Elements, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
J Browne - Joint Institute for Nuclear Astrophysics, Center for the Evolution of the Elements, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
W N Catford - University of Surrey, School of Maths and Physics
B Elman - Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
A Estradé - Department of Physics, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, Michigan 48859, USA
M R Hall - Department of Physics, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556, USA
B Longfellow - Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
E Lunderberg - Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
F Montes - Joint Institute for Nuclear Astrophysics, Center for the Evolution of the Elements, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
M Moukaddam - Department of Physics, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH, United Kingdom
P O'Malley - Department of Physics, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556, USA
W-J Ong - Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
H Schatz - Joint Institute for Nuclear Astrophysics, Center for the Evolution of the Elements, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
D Seweryniak - Physics Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439, USA
K Schmidt - Joint Institute for Nuclear Astrophysics, Center for the Evolution of the Elements, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
N K Timofeyuk - University of Surrey, School of Maths and Physics
D Weisshaar - National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
R G T Zegers - Joint Institute for Nuclear Astrophysics, Center for the Evolution of the Elements, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
Publication Details: Physical review letters, Vol.126(4), 042701
Publisher: American Physical Society; United States
Date published: 29/01/2021
Date accepted: 12/01/2021
Grants: Science and Technology Facilities Council (United Kingdom, Swindon) - STFC
Grant note: This work was supported by U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) under Grants No. PHY-1565546 (NSCL), No. PHY-1913554, No. PHY-1811855, and No. PHY-1430152 (JINA-CEE), the DOE National Nuclear Security Administration through the Nuclear Science and Security Consortium, under Award No. DE-NA0003180, and by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Nuclear Physics, under Grants No. DESC0020451 (MSU). GRETINA was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science. Operation of the array at N. S. C. L. was supported by the DOE under Grants No. DE-SC0014537 (NSCL) and No. DE-AC02- 05CH11231 (LBNL). UK personnel were supported by the Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC).
Identifiers: 99548523002346
Academic Unit: School of Maths and Physics
Language: English
Resource Type: Journal article

Exploiting Isospin Symmetry to Study the Role of Isomers in Stellar Environments

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