2021 journal article
New energy for the 133-keV resonance in the Na-23(p, gamma) Mg-24 reaction and its impact on nucleosynthesis in globular clusters
PHYSICAL REVIEW C, 104(3).
UN Sustainable Development Goal Categories
7. Affordable and Clean Energy
(OpenAlex)
Source: Web Of Science
Added: September 13, 2021
Globular cluster stars exhibit star-to-star anticorrelations between oxygen and sodium in their atmospheres. An improved description of the sodium-destroying $^{23}\mathrm{Na}+\mathrm{p}$ reaction rates is essential to understanding these observations. We present an energy analysis of $^{24}\mathrm{Mg}$ states based on a new measurement of the $^{23}\mathrm{Na}(^{3}\mathrm{He},\mathrm{d})^{24}\mathrm{Mg}$ reaction. A key resonance in $^{23}\mathrm{Na}(\mathrm{p},\ensuremath{\gamma})^{24}\mathrm{Mg}$ is found to be at ${E}_{r}^{\text{c.m.}}=133(3)$ keV, 5 keV lower than previously adopted. This finding has a dramatic effect on the $^{23}\mathrm{Na}(\mathrm{p},\ensuremath{\gamma})^{24}\mathrm{Mg}$ reaction rate, increasing it by a factor of 2 for the recommended rate. The nucleosynthesis impact of this change is investigated.