The Excitation Function of the 27Al(α, n) 30P Reaction and its Astrophysical Application

Abstract

The 27Al(α, n)30P reaction has an astrophysical interest in connection with the syntheses of elements in the solar system and in stars during explosive carbon burning. A good knowledge of the energy dependence of the cross section for this reaction is therefore of importance. In the present work the yield from a thick 27Al-target was measured for α-particles in the energy range 3.04 to 3.66 MeV corresponding to stellar temperatures between 2.08 and 2.75 × 109 K. The observed neutron yield curve was used to determine nucleosynthesis reaction rates, NA⟨σν⟩.