Abstract
Two recent experiments have indicated that the break-up of the 12C Hoyle state is dominated by the sequential 8Be(g.s.) + α decay channel. The rare direct 3α decay was found to contribute with a branching ratio of less than 0.047% (95% C.L.). However, the ability of experimentalists to successfully disentangle these two competing decay channels relies on accurate theoretical predictions of how they each manifest in phase space distribution of the three break-up α-particles. The following paper reviews the current theoretical approaches to calculating the break-up of the Hoyle state and introduces a semi-classical WKB approach, which adequately reproduces the results of more sophisticated calculations. It is proposed that a more accurate upper limit on this branching ratio may be obtained if these new theoretical results are taken into account when analysing experimental data.
Highlights
There has recently been a renewed interest in studying the decay modes of the Hoyle state in 12C [1, 2]
An improved upper limit of 0.035% was placed on the direct decay branching ratio [10]
An R-matrix approach In 2018, Refsgaard et al developed a sequential R-matrix model to describe the Hoyle state break-up [15]. They noted that even in the α + 8Be sequential decay, some features that may resemble a direct 3α decay naturally appear in the phase space distribution of the α-particles
Summary
- The Hoyle Family: The Search for AlphaCondensate States in Light Nuclei R. - The Hoyle Family: break-up measurements to probe -condensation in light nuclei Robin Smith et al. This content was downloaded from IP address 195.188.39.233 on 10/06/2020 at 15:39
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