The 25 Al(p,γ) 26 Si reaction plays a key role in accurately modeling and understanding the nucleosynthesis of the long-lived radioisotope 26 Al observed throughout the Galaxy by γ-ray telescopes via the detection of its 1.809 MeV γ-ray line. The 25 Al(p,γ) 26 Si reaction is responsible for redirecting the flux of nuclear material away from the ground state of the long-lived radioisotope 26 Al ( 26 Al g ) in favor of its short-lived isomer ( 26 Al m ) which bypasses the emission of the 1.809 MeV γ-ray, but is observed in, for example, an excess of the isotopic abundance of 26 Mg in meteorites. Uncertainties in the 25 Al(p,γ) 26 Si reaction rate are dominated by the nuclear properties of low-lying proton-unbound states in 26 Si. A high-sensitivity spectroscopic study of 26 Si was performed at the John D. Fox Accelerator Laboratory at Florida State University, using a neutron/γ-ray coincidence measurement with the 24 Mg( 3 He,nγ) 26 Si reaction. The present measurement solves previous discrepancies in the existence and location of the relevant resonances in 26 Si. Furthermore, the high sensitivity of the study allowed for a direct estimate of the 3 + 3 γ-partial width. The present experimental information combined with previous works provide an updated rate of the 25 Al(p,γ) 26 Si reaction at nova temperatures.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.