Investigation of heavy-ion particle identification in an experiment to determine the astrophysical rate of [superscript 15O]([alpha],[gamma])[superscript 19] Ne via the [superscript 21] Ne(P,T) [superscript 19]Ne reaction

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the heavy-ion particle identification in an experiment designed to determine the astrophysical rate of the ¹⁵O(&alpha;,&gamma;)¹⁹Ne reaction.<br> The ¹⁵O(&alpha;,&gamma;)¹⁹Ne reaction is one of two recognized pathways for breakout from the hot CNO cycle into the rp-process, which consists of consecutive proton captures onto seed nuclei to produce heavier elements. Understanding this reaction is crucial for elucidating the dynamics of X-ray bursts. To measure the branching ratios of &alpha; and&nbsp;&gamma; decays, which determine the reaction rate of 1⁵O(&alpha;,&gamma;). The experiment involves populating excited states in ¹⁹Ne using the ²¹Ne(p, t)¹⁹Ne reaction. In this study, we measure the decay branching ratios of excited states in ¹⁹Ne by passing the decay products through a magnetic dipole and a set of Phoswich detectors. These detectors are capable of detecting heavy-ions. For obtaining accurate data on reaction rates and branching ratios, it is essential to accurately identify heavy-ion particles. This research aims to advance our knowledge of the nucleosynthesis of heavy elements and offer important insights into the fundamental processes governing the behaviour of atomic nuclei by demonstrating conclusive isotope separation and identification in the phoswich detectors.