1. Search for 22 Na in novae supported by a novel method for measuring femtosecond nuclear lifetimes.
- Author
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Fougères C, de Oliveira Santos F, José J, Michelagnoli C, Clément E, Kim YH, Lemasson A, Guimarães V, Barrientos D, Bemmerer D, Benzoni G, Boston AJ, Böttger R, Boulay F, Bracco A, Čeliković I, Cederwall B, Ciemala M, Delafosse C, Domingo-Pardo C, Dudouet J, Eberth J, Fülöp Z, González V, Gottardo A, Goupil J, Hess H, Jungclaus A, Kaşkaş A, Korichi A, Lenzi SM, Leoni S, Li H, Ljungvall J, Lopez-Martens A, Menegazzo R, Mengoni D, Million B, Mrázek J, Napoli DR, Navin A, Nyberg J, Podolyák Z, Pullia A, Quintana B, Ralet D, Redon N, Reiter P, Rezynkina K, Saillant F, Salsac MD, Sánchez-Benítez AM, Sanchis E, Şenyiğit M, Siciliano M, Smirnova NA, Sohler D, Stanoiu M, Theisen C, Valiente-Dobón JJ, Ujić P, and Zielińska M
- Abstract
Classical novae are thermonuclear explosions in stellar binary systems, and important sources of
26 Al and22 Na. While γ rays from the decay of the former radioisotope have been observed throughout the Galaxy,22 Na remains untraceable. Its half-life (2.6 yr) would allow the observation of its 1.275 MeV γ-ray line from a cosmic source. However, the prediction of such an observation requires good knowledge of its nucleosynthesis. The22 Na(p, γ)23 Mg reaction remains the only source of large uncertainty about the amount of22 Na ejected. Its rate is dominated by a single resonance on the short-lived state at 7785.0(7) keV in23 Mg. Here, we propose a combined analysis of particle-particle correlations and velocity-difference profiles to measure femtosecond nuclear lifetimes. The application of this method to the study of the23 Mg states, places strong limits on the amount of22 Na produced in novae and constrains its detectability with future space-borne observatories., (© 2023. This is a U.S. Government work and not under copyright protection in the US; foreign copyright protection may apply.)- Published
- 2023
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