Direct measurement of the 15N(p,gamma)16O total cross section at novae energies

Bemmerer, D; Caciolli, A; Bonetti, R; Broggini, C; Confortola, F; Corvisiero, P; Costantini, H; Elekes, Z; Formicola, A; Fulop, Zs; Gervino, G; Guglielmetti, A; Gustavino, C; Gyurky, Gy; Junker, M; Limata, B; Marta, M; Menegazzo, R; Prati, P; Roca, V; Rolfs, C; Alvarez, C Rossi; Somorjai, E; Straniero, O

Direct measurement of the 15N(p,gamma)16O total cross section at novae energies

Authors

Description

The 15N(p,gamma)16O reaction controls the passage of nucleosynthetic material from the first to the second carbon-nitrogen-oxygen (CNO) cycle. A direct measurement of the total 15N(p,gamma)16O cross section at energies corresponding to hydrogen burning in novae is presented here. Data have been taken at 90-230 keV center-of-mass energy using a windowless gas target filled with nitrogen of natural isotopic composition and a bismuth germanate summing detector. The cross section is found to be a factor two lower than previously believed.
LUNA collaboration; accepted by J. Phys. G