Speaker
Ms
Pheladi Molema
(Student)
Description
The study of 26 Mg level structure is of particular importance in nuclear structure physics because of its impact in the slow neutron capture process (s-process) for the nucleosynthesis of heavy elements up to lead. In fact, the 26 Mg is the compound nucleus for the s-process neutron source 22Ne (α, n)25 Mg that is one of the dominant reaction in the s-process. Since it is an endothermic reaction it competes directly with the 22 Ne (α,γ) 26 Mg radiative capture. Understanding the rate of both of these reactions is crucial for linking the observational evidence of s-process abundance with the internal structure of the stars. The uncertainties in the energy of the 26 Mg states and the inconclusive spin- parity assessments still lead in large error bars in these reaction rates.
In this work, the low-energy states in 26 Mg were populated using the inelastic scattering of alpha particles with beam energy of 120 MeV. The 26 Mg (α,α'γ)26 Mg measurements can be useful to improve the uncertainties in these rates by studying and extracting the characteristics of the excited states of 26 Mg. The experiment was performed at iThemba LABS research facility using a new designed experimental set-up: the K600 magnetic spectrometer coupled to the BaGeL array (Ball of Germanium and LaBr detectors). This combination was used to perform the coincidence measurements between charged particles and gamma rays. The excitation and the subsequent gamma decay of the 26 Mg states of interest will be investigated. Preliminary results on the analysis will be presented.
Apply to be<br> considered for a student <br> award (Yes / No)?
Yes
Level for award<br> (Hons, MSc, <br> PhD, N/A)?
MSc
Main supervisor (name and email)<br>and his / her institution
Prof. E. Sidderas-Haddad
Witwatersrand university
Would you like to <br> submit a short paper <br> for the Conference <br> Proceedings (Yes / No)?
No
Primary author
Ms
Pheladi Molema
(Student)
