SearcharxivSearch

arXiv · 2609.08819

$\rm S^*(E)$ measurement of the $\rm {}^{12}C({}^{12}C,\alpha){}^{20}Ne$ reaction at astrophysical energies via the Trojan horse method with $\rm ^{16}O$ quasi-free breakup

Abstract

The 12C(12C,a)20Ne reaction at astrophysical energies is crucial for understanding the carbon burning process in massive star and explosive astrophysical scenarios like Type Ia supernovae and X-ray bursts. However, directly measuring or simply extrapolating its S*(E) factor is extremely challenging due to Coulomb suppression and potential complex resonance structures near the Gamow window (1.5+-0.3 MeV). The THM can circumvent the Coulomb barrier, providing data within the Gamow window without extrapolation. Strong resonances near 1.5 MeV were previously reported by Tumino et al. using THM with 14N=(12C+d), a result that generated significant interest and debate, underscoring the need for further experimental verification. In this work, we selected 16O=(12C+a) as the Trojan-horse nucleus due to its lower binding energy, which favors quasi-free reactions. We performed an indirect measurement of 12C(16O,aa)20Ne at the HI-13 Tandem Accelerator at CIAE. Employing a copper beam-stopper foil, we measured the spectator a-particle within a small angular range around 0, where the quasi-free mechanism predicts its highest concentration. The S*(E) factor of 12C(12C,a)20Ne in the astrophysical energy region was extracted from the measured three-body reaction using THM based on DWBA. Our results confirm the existence of resonances within the Gamow window around 1.5 MeV in both the a0 and a1 channels. Without considering the details of the resonance structures, the overall trend of our results is qualitatively in reasonable agreement with the THM-Tumino2018 and TTIK2025 data, but differs significantly from the trend of the Modified-THM-Muk2019 data. We observe no evidence for hindrance effect in our results.

Explore related subjects

Keep this discovery

BibTeXRIS

Chengbo Li, Huiming Jia, Qungang Wen, Chengjian Lin, Lei Yang, Feng Yang, Nanru Ma, Peiwei Wen, Tianpeng Luo, Chang Chang, Xuepeng Sun, Xuejian Wang. 2026-09-08. $\rm S^*(E)$ measurement of the $\rm {}^{12}C({}^{12}C,\alpha){}^{20}Ne$ reaction at astrophysical energies via the Trojan horse method with $\rm ^{16}O$ quasi-free breakup. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physletb.2026.140675

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

Reinvestigation of the Yield of the Trinity Device

Previous published analyses of trinitite to determine the yield of the Trinity nuclear explosion used various estimates of the fraction of fission products that became incorporated in trinitite. Furthermore, these studies utilized nuclear data that has subsequently been revised. Utilizing a planar germanium detector, we observed gamma rays produced by the decays of both 137Cs and 239Pu from four samples of trinitite. From the observed 137Cs/239Pu ratios of and a simple analysis method based on current nuclear data and weapons debris studies, we find an average yield of 9.1+-4.5 kilotons from our four samples. While this result is substantially lower than the established total yield of 21 kilotons, it is in reasonable agreement that attributable to fissions in the 239Pu core alone.

nucl-ex

Search for neutrinoless quadruple beta decay of $^{136}$Xe in PandaX-4T detector

The observation of neutrinoless quadruple beta decay (0$\nu$4$\beta$) in the absence of neutrinoless double beta decay (0$\nu$2$\beta$) has been argued to provide a strong indication that neutrinos are Dirac particles. We report a search for 0$\nu$4$\beta$ decay of $^{136}\text{Xe}$ using a total $^{136}\text{Xe}$ exposure of 148.4 kg$\cdot$yr, collected during the commissioning and the first science runs of the PandaX-4T experiment. No significant excess of events over the background is observed. A lower limit on the 0$\nu$4$\beta$ decay half-life of $^{136}\text{Xe}$ is set at 6.01 x $10^{24}$ yr at the 90% confidence level. This result establishes the most stringent constraint on this process in xenon, demonstrating the unique capability of the PandaX-4T detector in probing lepton number violation and shedding light on the fundamental nature of neutrinos.

nucl-ex

Island of Inversion in neutron-rich cobalt isotopes revealed from mass measurements

Mass measurements of the ground and isomeric states of $^{68-70}$Co have been performed using the JYFLTRAP Penning-trap mass spectrometer at the IGISOL facility. The masses were measured, either for the first time for the isomeric states of $^{68}$Co and $^{70}$Co, or with greatly improved precision for the others, removing ambiguities in the mass surface beyond $N=40$. The ordering of the low and high-spin states in $^{68}$Co and $^{70}$Co has also been established. The results, supported by Large-Scale Shell Model and Discrete Non-Orthogonal Shell-Model calculations, show a gradual lowering of intruder states with increasing neutron number, eventually leading to an inversion in $^{70}$Co. These findings clarify previously proposed contradictory interpretations. Finally, we demonstrate the importance of including induced effective 3N forces for a consistent description of binding energies in the island of inversion near $N=40$.

nucl-ex