Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Bishop, J.
• Parker, C. E.
• Rogachev, G. V.
• Ahn, S.
• Koshchiy, E.
• Brandenburg, K.
• Brune, C. R.
• Charity, R. J.
• Derkin, J.
• Dronchi, N.
• Hamad, G.
• Jones-Alberty, Y.
• Kokalova, Tz
• Massey, T. N.
• Meisel, Z.
• Ohstrom, E. V.
• Paneru, S. N.
• Pollacco, E. C.
• Saxena, M.
• Singh, N.
• Smith, R.
• Sobotka, L. G.
• Soltesz, D.
• Subedi, S. K.
• Voinov, A. V.
• Warren, J.
• Wheldon, C.

Titel

Neutron-upscattering enhancement of the triple-alpha process

Ist Teil von

• Nature communications, 2022-04, Vol.13 (1)

Ort / Verlag

United States: Nature Publishing Group

Erscheinungsjahr

2022

Quelle

Alma/SFX Local Collection

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Abstract The neutron inelastic scattering of carbon-12, populating the Hoyle state, is a reaction of interest for the triple-alpha process. The inverse process (neutron upscattering) can enhance the Hoyle state’s decay rate to the bound states of12C, effectively increasing the overall triple-alpha reaction rate. The cross section of this reaction is impossible to measure experimentally but has been determined here at astrophysically-relevant energies using detailed balance. Using a highly-collimated monoenergetic beam, here we measure neutrons incident on the Texas Active Target Time Projection Chamber (TexAT TPC) filled with CO2gas, we measure the 3α-particles (arising from the decay of the Hoyle state following inelastic scattering) and a cross section is extracted. Here we show the neutron-upscattering enhancement is observed to be much smaller than previously expected. The importance of the neutron-upscattering enhancement may therefore not be significant aside from in very particular astrophysical sites (e.g. neutron star mergers).