학술논문

β+ Gamow-Teller Transition Strengths from 46Ti and Stellar Electron-Capture Rates.
Document Type
Article
Source
Physical Review Letters. 6/27/2014, Vol. 112 Issue 25, p252501-1-252501-6. 6p.
Subject
*TRANSITION strengths
*ELECTRON capture
*ASTROPHYSICS
*TEMPERATURE
*ELECTRONIC excitation
*CHARGE exchange
Language
ISSN
0031-9007
Abstract
The Gamow-Teller strength in the β+ direction to 46Sc was extracted via the 46Ti(t, 3He + γ) reaction at 115 MeV/u. The γ-ray coincidences served to precisely measure the very weak Gamow-Teller transition to a final state at 991 keV. Although this transition is weak, it is crucial for accurately estimating electron-capture rates in astrophysical scenarios with relatively low stellar densities and temperatures, such as presupernova stellar evolution. Shell-model calculations with different effective interactions in the pf shell-model space do not reproduce the experimental Gamow-Teller strengths, which is likely due to sd-shell admixtures. Calculations in the quasiparticle random phase approximation that are often used in astrophysical simulations also fail to reproduce the experimental Gamow-Teller strength distribution, leading to strongly overestimated electron-capture rates. Because reliable theoretical predictions of Gamow-Teller strengths are important for providing astrophysical electron-capture reaction rates for a broad set of nuclei in the lower pf shell, we conclude that further theoretical improvements are required to match astrophysical needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]