Pair decay width of the Hoyle state and carbon production in stars

2010/04/30 by M. Chernykh, H. Feldmeier, T. Neff +2 · 1 citation
Physics and Astronomy · #nucl-ex #astro-ph.SR #nucl-th

paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevlett.105.022501

published as Phys.Rev.Lett.105:022501,2010 · 4 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. Lett

arxiv created 2010/06/16 · arxiv updated 2010/07/20

Abstract

Electron scattering off the first excited 0+ state in 12C (the Hoyle state) has been performed at low momentum transfers at the S-DALINAC. The new data together with a novel model-independent analysis of the world data set covering a wide momentum transfer range result in a highly improved transition charge density from which a pair decay width Gamma_pi = (62.3 +- 2.0) micro-eV of the Hoyle state was extracted reducing the uncertainty of the literature values by more than a factor of three. A precise knowledge of Gamma_pi is mandatory for quantitative studies of some key issues in the modeling of supernovae and of asymptotic giant branch stars, the most likely site of the slow-neutron nucleosynthesis process.

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