The ⁶Li(²²Ne, ²⁶Mg)d α-transfer experiment for the study of low-energy resonances in ²²Ne(α,γ)²⁶Mg

¹ Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Tokai, Ibaraki, Japan
² Rutgers University, NJ, USA
³ University of Notre Dame, IN, USA
⁴ Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan
⁵ Oak Ridge National Laboratory, TN, USA

^a e-mail: shuyaota@nuclearemail.org

Published online: 20 March 2014

Abstract

While the reaction ²²Ne(α,n)²⁵Mg is considered an important neutron source for the s process in massive stars, the competing ²²Ne(α,γ)²⁶Mg reaction may be of considerable strength and could significantly suppress the neutron production. For a better understanding of this neutron source, the branching ratio of n and γ partial widths (Γ_n, Γ_γ) and spectroscopic information such as energies and spins of ²⁶Mg resonance states within the Gamow window (E_α = 400-1000 keV) should be experimentally determined with improved accuracy. In the present work, we propose to use the ⁶Li(²²Ne, ²⁶Mg)d α-transfer reaction to investigate those resonance parameters and have tested the feasibility of the experiment.