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Constraint of the Astrophysical 26gAl(p,gamma)27Si Destruction Rate at Stellar Temperatures...

Publication Type
Journal
Journal Name
Physical Review Letters
Publication Date
Page Number
212501
Volume
114
Issue
21

The Galactic 1.809-MeV gamma-ray signature from the beta decay of <sup)26g(/sup)Al is a dominant target of gamma-ray astronomy, of which a significant component is understood to originate from massive stars. The <sup>16g(/sup)Al(p,gamma)<sup>27</sup>Si reaction is a major destruction pathway for <sup>26g</sup>Al at stellar temperatures, but the reaction rate is poorly constrained due to uncertainties in the strengths of low-lying resonances in <sup>27</sup>Si. The <sup>26g</sup>Al(d,p)<sup>27</sup>Al reaction has been employed in inverse kinematics to determine the spectroscopic factors, and hence resonance strengths, of proton resonances in <sup>27</sup>Si via mirror symmetry. The strength of the 127-keV resonance is found to be a factor of 4 higher than the previously adopted upper limit, and the upper limit for the 68-keV resonance has been reduced by an order of magnitude, considerably constraining the <sup>26g</sup>Al destruction rate at stellar temperatures.