Determination of the Gamow-Teller strength distribution from the odd-odd nucleus V-50 measured through V-50(d,He-2)Ti-50 and astrophysical implications

Cross sections for the charge-exchange reaction (d,He-2) on V-50, the only odd-odd stable nucleus in the pf shell, have been measured at an incident energy of 171 MeV. The two correlated protons of the unbound He-2 system were both momentum analyzed and detected by the same spectrometer and detector. Measurements have been carried out at forward center-of-mass angles up to 6degrees. The GT(+) strength distribution has been extracted up to about 12 MeV of excitation energy. Because charge-exchange reactions from V-50 provide a unique opportunity to probe Gamow-Teller response from an odd-odd nucleus of the pf shell, the present study serves as important test case for model calculations and astrophysical processes that proceed through GT-type transitions. Consequently, the experimental result is compared with a large-scale shell-model calculation, and the implications for electron-capture processes in presupernova environments are discussed.