Study of the astrophysically important $\boldsymbol{^{23}\mathrm{Na}(\alpha,p)^{26}\mathrm{Mg}}$ and $\boldsymbol{^{23}\mathrm{Na}(\alpha,n)^{26}\mathrm{Al}}$ reactions

TL;DR

This study presents direct, simultaneous measurements of the $^{23}$Na$( ext{alpha},p)$ and $^{23}$Na$( ext{alpha},n)$ reactions crucial for understanding $^{26}$Al in stars, confirming previous data and models.

Contribution

It provides the first direct, simultaneous measurement of these reactions using an active target system in inverse kinematics.

Findings

Cross sections agree with previous experiments

Results align with statistical model calculations

Reactions measured in the 2-6 MeV energy range

Abstract

The $^{23}$Na$(\alpha,p)^{26}$Mg and $^{23}$Na$(\alpha,n)^{26}$Al reactions are important for our understanding of the $^{26}$Al abundance in massive stars. The aim of this work is to report on a direct and simultaneous measurement of these astrophysically important reactions using an active target system. The reactions were investigated in inverse kinematics using $^{4}$He as the active target gas in the detector. We measured the excitation functions in the energy range of about 2 to 6 MeV in the center of mass. We have found that the cross sections of the $^{23}$Na$(\alpha,p)^{26}$Mg and the $^{23}$Na$(\alpha,n)^{26}$Al reactions are in good agreement with previous experiments, and with statistical model calculations.