skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Excited states of Ca 39 and their significance in nova nucleosynthesis

Journal Article · · Physical Review C
 [1];  [1];  [1];  [2];  [1];  [1]
  1. North Carolina State Univ., Raleigh, NC (United States). Department of Physics; Duke Univ., Durham, NC (United States). Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory
  2. McMaster Univ., Hamilton, ON (Canada). Department of Physics & Astronomy

Background: We report that discrepancies exist between the observed abundances of argon and calcium in oxygen-neon nova ejecta and those predicted by nova models. An improved characterization of the 38K(p,γ) 39Ca reaction rate over the nova temperature regime (~ 0.1-0.4 GK), and thus the nuclear structure of 39Ca above the proton threshold (5770.92(63) keV), is necessary to resolve these contradictions. Purpose: The present study was performed to search for low-spin proton resonances in the 38K + p system, and to improve the uncertainties in energies of the known astrophysically significant proton resonances in 39Ca. Methods: The level structure of 39Ca was investigated via high-resolution charged-particle spectroscopy with an Enge split-pole spectrograph using the 40Ca(3He, α) 39Ca reaction. Differential cross sections were measured over 6 laboratory angles at 21 MeV. Distorted-wave Born approximation calculations were performed to constrain the spin-parity assignments of observed levels with special attention to those significant in determination of the 38K(p,γ) 39Ca reaction rate over the nova temperature regime. Results: The resonance energies corresponding to two out of three astrophysically important states at 6154(5) and 6472.2(24) keV are measured with better precision than previous charged-particle spectroscopy measurements. A tentatively new state is discovered at 5908(3) keV. The spin-parity assignments of a few of the astrophysically important resonances are determined. Conclusions: Lastly, the present 38K(p,γ) 39Ca upper limit thermonuclear reaction rate at 0.1-0.4 GK is higher than that determined in [Physical Review C 97 (2018) 025802] by at most a factor of 1.4 at 0.1 GK.

Research Organization:
North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Nuclear Physics (NP)
Grant/Contract Number:
SC0017799; FG02-97ER41041
OSTI ID:
1483394
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1492152
Journal Information:
Physical Review C, Vol. 98, Issue 5; ISSN 2469-9985
Publisher:
American Physical Society (APS)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 3 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

References (44)

Nuclear Data Sheets for A = 27 journal August 2011
The ground state of 40Ca and the reactions 40Ca(3He, α)39Ca, 42Ca(3He, α)41Ca and 40Ca(3He, d)41Sc journal August 1965
The TUNL Enge Split-Pole Spectrograph: a Facility Entirely Dedicated to Nuclear Astrophysics conference February 2017
Three-dimensional simulations of the interaction between the nova ejecta, accretion disk, and companion star journal May 2018
Coupled reaction channels calculations in nuclear physics journal April 1988
Nuclear Data Sheets for A=39 journal March 2018
Stellar Explosions: Hydrodynamics and Nucleosynthesis book January 2015
Nucleosynthesis in Novae conference February 2017
The quasihole aspect of hole strength distributions in odd potassium and calcium isotopes journal June 1976
Split-pole magnetic spectrograph for precision nuclear spectroscopy journal April 1967
Compilation of phenomenological optical-model parameters 1954–1975 journal January 1976
THE EFFECTS OF THE pep NUCLEAR REACTION AND OTHER IMPROVEMENTS IN THE NUCLEAR REACTION RATE LIBRARY ON SIMULATIONS OF THE CLASSICAL NOVA OUTBURST journal February 2009
Direct Measurement of the Astrophysical K 38 ( p , γ ) Ca 39 Reaction and Its Influence on the Production of Nuclides toward the End Point of Nova Nucleosynthesis journal April 2016
Analysis of discrepant data using a bootstrap procedure journal April 2002
The AME2016 atomic mass evaluation (II). Tables, graphs and references journal March 2017
The Focal-Plane Detector Package on the TUNL Split-Pole Spectrograph journal February 2019
A study of the 40Ca(τ, α)39K reaction and the single hole states of 39K and 39Ca journal September 1966
Direct measurement of astrophysically important resonances in K 38 ( p , γ ) Ca 39 journal February 2018
Studies of (p, d) Reactions in 24 Mg, 32 S and 40 Ca at 185 MeV journal February 1975
The Thermonuclear Runaway and the Classical Nova Outburst journal April 2016
Energy levels of light nuclei journal April 2012
MESA and NuGrid simulations of classical novae: CO and ONe nova nucleosynthesis journal June 2014
Nova Aquilae 1982 journal September 1987
One-nucleon transfer reactions on 16O and 40Ca induced by 33 MeV polarized 3He journal January 1980
Infrared Space Observatory and Ground-Based Infrared Observations of the Classical Nova V723 Cassiopeiae journal October 2003
Energy levels of light nuclei A = 13–15 journal February 1991
Ca 40 ( p , d ) 39 Ca reaction at 65 MeV journal July 1993
Étude du pick-up d'un neutron sur les isotones N = 20 40Ca, 39K et 37Cl journal May 1972
Frontiers in nuclear astrophysics journal July 2016
Inelastic scattering and clusters transfer in 3,4He + 9Be reactions journal September 2015
The 19F(p, n)19Ne and 39K(p, n)39Ca reactions at intermediate energies and quenching of the Gamow-Teller strength journal December 1984
Nucleosynthesis in Classical Novae: CO versus ONe White Dwarfs journal February 1998
Combined Magnetic Spectrograph and Spectrometer journal October 1958
Nuclear Reactions for Astrophysics: Principles, Calculation and Applications of Low-Energy Reactions book January 2009
The Effects of Thermonuclear Reaction‐Rate Variations on Nova Nucleosynthesis: A Sensitivity Study journal September 2002
Strongly excited levels of39Ca in the40Ca(3He, α)39Ca reaction journal October 1965
Nuclear Data Sheets for A = 39 journal February 2006
( p , d ) Reaction on N = Z Nuclei in the 2 s 1 d Shell journal August 1968
Nuclear Physics of Stars book January 2007
Charged-particle thermonuclear reaction rates: I. Monte Carlo method and statistical distributions journal October 2010
Distortion of secondaries in semi-detached binaries and the cataclysmic variable period minimum journal June 2002
Magnetic spectrographs for nuclear reaction studies journal June 1979
A study of the shell of Nova V705 Cas journal June 2000
Global optical model potential for alpha projectile journal December 2015

Similar Records

γ -ray spectroscopy of astrophysically important states in Ca39
Journal Article · Wed Jan 29 00:00:00 EST 2020 · Physical Review C · OSTI ID:1483394

Experimental study of Cl35 excited states via S32(α,p)
Journal Article · Thu May 30 00:00:00 EDT 2019 · Physical Review C · OSTI ID:1483394

First spin-parity constraint of the 306 keV resonance in Cl35 for nova nucleosynthesis
Journal Article · Fri Apr 28 00:00:00 EDT 2017 · Physical Review C · OSTI ID:1483394