First Direct Measurement of the 17F(p,gamma)18Ne Cross Section

Phys Rev Lett. 2009 Apr 17;102(15):152502. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.102.152502. Epub 2009 Apr 14.

Abstract

The rate of the (17)F(p,gamma)(18)Ne reaction is important in various astrophysical events. A previous (17)F(p,p)(17)F measurement identified a 3;{+} state providing the strongest resonance contribution, but the resonance strength was unknown. We have directly measured the (17)F(p,gamma)(18)Ne reaction using a mixed beam of (17)F and (17)O at ORNL. The resonance strength for the 3;{+} resonance in (18)Ne was found to be omegagamma = 33 +/- 14(stat) +/-1 7(syst) meV, corresponding to a gamma width of Gamma_{gamma} = 56 +/- 24(stat) +/- 30(syst) meV. An upper limit on the direct capture of S(E) <or= 65 keV b was determined at an energy of 800 keV.