Speaker
Description
This talk will present two resonant elastic scattering experiments addressing questions in nuclear astrophysics and nuclear structure. The first experiment focuses on the production of 18F in classical novae, critical for gamma-ray emissions from 𝛽+ decay. The reaction 18F( 𝑝, 𝛼)15O, which destroys 18F, remains uncertain due to limited spec-
troscopic data for 19Ne in the Gamow window. To address this, the 𝛼(15O, 𝛼)15O reaction was studied to measure excitation energies, spins, and 𝛼-widths of 19Ne levels near the proton threshold. The experiment, conducted at GANIL with a SPIRAL1 beam, a gaseous target, and silicon detectors, achieved <17 keV FWHM resolution and could refine 18F production rates by up to 3.5 times.
The second experiment explored clustering phenomena in 12Be through the 4He(8He,8 He)4He reaction. Earlier studies identified a resonance at 12.1 MeV near key particle thresholds. Using ACTAR TPC, filled with helium gas and isobutane, excitation energies between 11.5 and 13 MeV were probed with <100 keV resolution, significantly improving on previous work. This approach also enabled the measurement of angular distributions and resonance spin-parity characterization. These results provide insight into clustering dynamics in light nuclei near multi-particle thresholds, which have implications for understanding nuclear structure and reaction mechanisms.
