Understanding the cosmic abundance of ${}^{22}$Na: lifetime measurements in ${}^{23}$Mg

Abstract

Simulations of explosive nucleosynthesis in novae predict the production of ${}^{22}$Na, a key astronomical observable to constrain nova models. Its gamma-ray line at 1.275 MeV has not yet been observed by the gamma-ray space telescopes. The ${}^{20}$Ne/${}^{22}$Ne ratio in presolar grains, a possible tool to identify nova grains, also depends on ${}^{22}$Na produced. Uncertainties on its yield in classical novae currently originate from the rate of the ${}^{22}$Na(p, $\gamma$)${}^{23}$Mg reaction. At peak novae temperatures, this reaction is dominated by a resonance at E${}_{\text{R}}$=0.204 MeV, corresponding to the $E_x$=7.785 MeV excited state in ${}^{23}$Mg. The resonance strengths measured so far disagree by one order of magnitude. An experiment has been performed at GANIL to measure the lifetime and the proton branching ratio of this key state, with a femtosecond resolution for the former. The reactions populating states in ${}^{23}$Mg have been studied with a high resolution detection set-up, i.e. the particle VAMOS, SPIDER and gamma tracking AGATA spectrometers, allowing the measurements of lifetimes and proton branchings. We present here a comparison between experimental results and shell-model calculations, that allowed us to assign the spin and parity of the key state. Rather small values obtained for reduced $M1$ matrix elements, $|M(M1)|\lesssim 0.5$ ${\mu }_N$, and proton spectroscopic factors, $C^2{S}_{\text{p}}$<10${}^{-2}$, seem to be beyond the accuracy of the shell model. With the reevaluated ${}^{22}$Na(p, $\gamma$)${}^{23}$Mg rate, the ${}^{22}$Na detectability limit and its observation frequency from novae are found promising for the future space telescopes.

6 pages, 4 figures, proceedings of the conference Nuclear Physics in Astrophysics - X (NPA-X, Cern 2022), accepted in EPJ Web of Conferences

References in corpus (4)

• Direct measurements of 22Na(p,g)23Mg resonances and consequences for 22Na production in classical novae
• A Light Curve Analysis of 32 Recent Galactic Novae --- Distances and White Dwarf Masses
• Condensation of SiC Stardust in CO Nova Outbursts
• Chandrasekhar-mass white dwarfs are the progenitors of a small fraction of Type Ia supernovae according to nucleosythesis constraints

Cited by in corpus (1)

• Search for ${}^{22}$Na in novae supported by a novel method for measuring femtosecond nuclear lifetimes