Study of the energy levels in the 23Mg radionuclide by using proton beams and a 24Mg target

Abstract

The energy levels of the 23Mg radionuclide are very important for astrophysical reactions such as the 22Na(ρ,γ)23Mg and the 19Ne(α,γ)23Mg reactions, depending on their excitation energies. In the present manuscript, two independent 24Mg(ρ,d)23Mg transfer reaction measurements, which were performed by using 31- and 41-MeV proton beams from the Holifield Radioactive Ion Beam Facility of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the United States and 24Mg solid targets, are summarized. Recoiling deuterons from the (p,d) reactions were detected by using a silicon strip detector array. By comparing the experimental angular distributions with the results of calculations using theoretical distorted-wave Born approximation, we were able, for the first time, to constrain the spins and the parities of seven energy levels in 23Mg