New measurement of the astrophysically important 40Ca(α, γ)44Ti reaction.

The relatively short-lived radionuclide 44Ti is of considerable importance for the interpretation of nucleosynthesis in core-collapse supernova environments. Production is predominantly through the 40Ca(α,γ)44Ti reaction, which has been studied in this work over the energy range Ecm = 2.73--4.18 MeV, via direct γ counting and the 4π-summing technique, utilizing a previously characterized 12 inch × 12 inch single Nal crystal. The inferred reaction rate is compared here to both current experimental measurements and theoretical model calculations [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]