In the ejecta from ONe novae outbursts nuclei up to A~40 are observed. The 30P(p,γ)31S reaction is thought to be the bottleneck for the production of all elements heavier than sulphur. However, due to uncertainties in the properties of key proton-unbound resonances the reaction rate is not well determined. In this thesis work, excited states in 31S were populated via the 28Si(4He,n) light-ion fusion-evaporation reaction and the prompt electromagnetic radiation was then detected with the GAMMASPHERE detector array. This γ-ray spectroscopy study, and comparisons with the stable mirror nucleus 31P, allowed the determination of the 31S level structure below the proton-emission threshold and also of the key proton-unbound states for the 30P(p,γ)31S reaction. In particular, transitions from key, low-spin states were observed for the first time. This new information was then used for the re-evaluation of the 30P(p,γ)31S reaction in the temperature range relevant for ONe novae. The newly calculated rate is higher than previous estimates implying a greater flux of material processed to high-Z elements in novae. Astrophysical X-ray bursts are thought to be a result of thermonuclear explosions on the atmosphere of an accreting neutron star. Between these bursts, energy is thought to be generated by the hot CNO cycles. The 15O(α,γ)19Ne reaction is one reaction that allows breakout from these CNO cycle and into the rp-process to fuel outbursts. The reaction is expected to be dominated by a single 3/2+ resonance at 4.033 MeV in 19Ne, however, limited information is available on this key state. This thesis work reports on a pioneering study of the 20Ne(p,d)19Ne reaction in inverse kinematics performed at the Experimental Storage Ring (ESR) as a means of accessing the 4.033-MeV state in 19Ne. The unique background free, high luminosity conditions of the ESR were utilised for this, the first transfer reaction performed at the ESR. The results of this pioneering test experiment are presented along with suggestions for future measurements at storage ring facilities.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:699933 |
| Date | January 2014 |
| Creators | Doherty, Daniel Thomas |
| Contributors | Watts, Daniel ; Woods, Philip |
| Publisher | University of Edinburgh |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://hdl.handle.net/1842/18022 |
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