Destruction of the cosmic γ -ray emitter 26 Al in massive stars: Study of the key 26 Al ( n , α ) reaction

Description

Neutron destruction reactions of the cosmic γ -ray emitter 26Al are of importance to determine the amount of 26Al ejected into our galaxy by supernova explosions and for 26Al production in asymptotic giant branch stars. We performed a new measurement of the 26Al(n, α) reaction up to 160-keV neutron energy at the neutron time-of-flight facilities n_TOF at CERN and GELINA at EC-JRC. We provide strengths for ten resonances, six of them for the first time. We use our data to calculate astrophysical reactivities for stellar temperatures up to 0.7 GK. Our results resolve a discrepancy between the two previous direct measurements of this reaction, and indicate higher stellar destruction rates than the most recently recommended reactivity.

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Austrian Science Fund (FWF). J3503

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The U.K. Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) ST/L005824/1 y No. ST/M006085/1

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The European Research Council ERC-2015-STG. 677497

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European Cooperation in Science and Technology (Cost Action), programa Chemical Elements as Tracers of the Evolution of the Cosmos(ChETEC) CA16117

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