We investigate the impact of the role of pairing correlation on the energy per particles of Wigner-Seitz cells in the inner crust of a neutron star. In particular, we compare some common approximations done to treat pairing effects and we estimate the possible error. To reduce the computational cost of the calculations required to determine the chemical composition of the crust, we present a new numerical method based on Gaussian Emulator Process.

The interest in experimental studies of the 12 C nucleus is partly due to the astrophysical interest in its spectroscopic properties, which determine the triple alpha reaction rate, and partly motivated by the structure of this nucleus, which is not fully explained theoretically. Some aspects are described in the shell model and others by a cluster structure of three alpha particles, but both cannot so far be combined in a unified model. New experiments have been performed to address these problems. The focus of this work is on an implantation experiment, which took place in April 2006 at KVI.

An experiment to measure the 18 F(p,α) 15 O cross section at low centre of mass energies has been performed with the TRIUMF-UK Detector Array (TUDA) facility at TRIUMF. Measurements of the 18 F(p,α) 15 O reaction rate at four separate centre of mass energies; 665 keV, 430 keV, 330 keV and 250 keV, were carried out. The main goal of the experiment was the measurement of the 18 F(p,α) 15 O cross section between 250 keV and 300 keV to help constrain the contribution to the reaction rate from nearby states and determine the effect of interference on the overall 18 F(p,α) 15 O reaction rate from the proposed low lying 3/2 + states with the higher 664.7 keV 3/2 + state. A high intensity 18 F beam (∼5x10 6 pps) was used to bombard a 31.6±1.9 µg.cm −2 polyethylene target within the TUDA scattering chamber at the four centre of mass energies. Four highly segmented silicon strip detector arrays were used for coincident detection of the reaction products. Preliminary results will be presented.10th Symposium on Nuclei in the Cosmos

Influences on the triple alpha process beyond the Hoyle state Christian Aa. Diget

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