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

Abstract

Classical novae are thermonuclear explosions in stellar binary systems, and important sources of ${}^{26}$Al and ${}^{22}$Na. While gamma rays from the decay of the former radioisotope have been observed throughout the Galaxy, ${}^{22}$Na remains untraceable. The half-life of ${}^{22}$Na (2.6 yr) would allow the observation of its 1.275 MeV gamma-ray line from a cosmic source. However, the prediction of such an observation requires good knowledge of the nuclear reactions involved in the production and destruction of this nucleus. The ${}^{22}$Na($p,\gamma$)${}^{23}$Mg reaction remains the only source of large uncertainty about the amount of ${}^{22}$Na ejected. Its rate is dominated by a single resonance on the short-lived state at 7785.0(7) keV in ${}^{23}$Mg. In the present work, a combined analysis of particle-particle correlations and velocity-difference profiles is proposed to measure femtosecond nuclear lifetimes. The application of this novel method to the study of the ${}^{23}$Mg states, combining magnetic and highly-segmented tracking gamma-ray spectrometers, places strong limits on the amount of ${}^{22}$Na produced in novae, explains its non-observation to date in gamma rays (flux < 2.5x$10^{-4}$ ph/(cm${}^2$s)), and constrains its detectability with future space-borne observatories.

arXiv comment18 pages, 3 figures, 1 table

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