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Results for “CNO CYCLE”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2016

Experimental Investigation of the 19 Ne(p,γ) 20 Na Reaction Rate and Implications for Breakout from the Hot CNO Cycle

The 19 Ne(p,γ) 20 Na reaction is the second step of a reaction chain which breaks out from the hot CNO cycle, following the 15 O(α,γ) 19 Ne reaction at the onset of x-ray burst events. We investigate the spectrum of the lowest proton-unbound states in 20 Na in an effort to resolve contradictions in spin-parity assignments and extract reliable information about the thermal reaction rate. Here, the proton-transfer reaction 19 Ne(d,n) 20 Na is measured with a beam of the radioactive isotope 19 Ne at an energy around the Coulomb barrier and in inverse kinematics. We observe three proton resonances with the 19 Ne ground state, at 0.44, 0.66, and 0.82 MeV c.m. energies, which are assigned 3 + , 1 + , and (0 + ), respectively. In addition, we identify two resonances with the first excited state in 19 Ne, one at 0.20 MeV and one, tentatively, at 0.54 MeV. These observations allow us for the first time to experimentally quantify the astrophysical reaction rate on an excited nuclear state. Our experiment shows an efficient path for thermal proton capture in 19 Ne(p,γ) 20 Na, which proceeds through ground state and excited-state capture in almost equal parts and eliminates the possibility for this reaction to create a bottleneck in the breakout from the hot CNO cycle.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

The trace of the CNO cycle in the ring nebula NGC 6888

We present new results on the chemical composition of the Galactic ring nebula NGC 6888 surrounding the WN6(h) star WR136. The data are based on deep spectroscopical observations taken with the High Dispersion Spectrograph at the 8.2 m Subaru Telescope. The spectra cover the optical range from 3700 to 7400 Å. The effect of the CNO cycle is well-identified in the abundances of He, N, and O, while elements not involved in the synthesis such as Ar, S, and Fe present values consistent with the solar vicinity and the ambient gas. The major achievement of this work is the first detection of the faint C II λ4267 recombination line in a Wolf-Rayet nebula. This allows us to estimate the C abundance in NGC 6888 and therefore investigate for the first time the trace of the CNO cycle in a ring nebula around a Wolf-Rayet star. Although the detection of the C II line has a low signal-to-noise ratio, the C abundance seems to be higher than the predictions of recent stellar evolution models of massive stars. The Ne abundance also shows a puzzling pattern with an abundance of about 0.5 dex lower than the solar vicinity, which may be related to the action of the NeNa cycle. Attending to the constraints imposed by the dynamical timescale and the He/H and N/O ratios of the nebula, the comparison with stellar evolution models indicates that the initial mass of the stellar progenitor of NGC 6888 is between 25 M {sub ☉} and 40 M {sub ☉}.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

New portal to the O 15 ( α , γ ) Ne 19 resonance triggering CNO-cycle breakout

The 15 O(α,γ) 19 Ne reaction is expected to trigger the initial path for breakout from the CNO hydrogen-burning cycles to the rapid proton capture (rp) process in type I x-ray bursts on accreting neutron stars. The thermonuclear reaction rate has a major impact on models of type I x-ray burst observables and it depends on the small α-particle branching ratio, Γ α /Γ, of the 4.03 MeV state in 19 Ne. Attempts to measure Γ α /Γ by populating the 4.03 MeV state using nuclear reactions have only led to strong upper limits. In the present work, we report the first experimental evidence that the 4.03 MeV 19 Ne state is populated in 20 Mg β-delayed proton emission. Furthermore this new channel has the potential to provide the necessary sensitivity to detect a finite value of Γ α /Γ.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

Indirect measurements of reactions in hot p-p chain and CNO cycles

Several reactions have been experimentally studied, including the {sup 12}N(d,n){sup 13}O and the ones induced by the {sup 3}He+{sup 12}C entrance channel. The former was carried out at the CRIB facility of University of Tokyo, aiming to indirectly determine the astrophysical reaction rates of the {sup 12}N(p,{gamma}){sup 13}O reaction. For the {sup 3}He+{sup 12}C entrance channel, many excited states of several nuclei are populated and the angular distribution of each state is being analyzed.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

The status of the study of solar CNO neutrinos in the Borexino experiment

Although less than 1% of solar energy is generated in the CNO cycle, it plays a critical role in astrophysics, since this cycle is the primary source of energy in certain more massive stars and at later stages of evolution of solar-type stars. Electron neutrinos are produced in the CNO cycle reactions. These neutrinos may be detected by terrestrial neutrino detectors. Various solar models with different abundances of elements heavier than helium predict different CNO neutrino fluxes. A direct measurement of the CNO neutrino flux could help distinguish between these models and solve several other astrophysical problems. No CNO neutrinos have been detected directly thus far, and the best upper limit on their flux was set in the Borexino experiment. The work on reducing the background in the region of energies of CNO neutrinos (up to 1.74 MeV) and developing novel data analysis methods is presently under way. These efforts may help detect the CNO neutrino flux in the Borexino experiment at the level predicted by solar models.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

CARBON-RICH PRESOLAR GRAINS FROM MASSIVE STARS: SUBSOLAR {sup 12}C/{sup 13}C AND {sup 14}N/{sup 15}N RATIOS AND THE MYSTERY OF {sup 15}N

Carbon-rich grains with isotopic anomalies compared to the Sun are found in primitive meteorites. They were made by stars, and carry the original stellar nucleosynthesis signature. Silicon carbide grains of Type X and C and low-density (LD) graphites condensed in the ejecta of core-collapse supernovae. We present a new set of models for the explosive He shell and compare them with the grains showing {sup 12}C/{sup 13}C and {sup 14}N/{sup 15}N ratios lower than solar. In the stellar progenitor H was ingested into the He shell and not fully destroyed before the explosion. Different explosion energies and H concentrations are considered. If the supernova shock hits the He-shell region with some H still present, the models can reproduce the C and N isotopic signatures in C-rich grains. Hot-CNO cycle isotopic signatures are obtained, including a large production of {sup 13}C and {sup 15}N. The short-lived radionuclides {sup 22}Na and {sup 26}Al are increased by orders of magnitude. The production of radiogenic {sup 22}Ne from the decay of {sup 22}Na in the He shell might solve the puzzle of the Ne-E(L) component in LD graphite grains. This scenario is attractive for the SiC grains of type AB with {sup 14}N/{sup 15}N ratios lower than solar, and provides an alternative solution for SiC grains originally classified as nova grains. Finally, this process may contribute to the production of {sup 14}N and {sup 15}N in the Galaxy, helping to produce the {sup 14}N/{sup 15}N ratio in the solar system.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS2006

Ejecta of Eta Carinae: What We Learn about N-Rich Chemistry

At least one member of the binary system, Eta Carinae, is in the late stages of CNO-cycle. At least ten solar masses of ejecta make up the Homunculus, a neutral bi-polar shell ejected in the 1840s and the Little Homunculus, an internal, ionized bi-polar shell ejected in the 1890s. HST/STIS and VLTAJVES high dispersion spectroscopy revealed absorptions of multiple elements and diatomic molecules in these shells, some, such as V II and Sr II have not been seen previously in the ISM. The skirt region between the bi-lobes includes the very bright Weigelt blobs, within 0.1 to 0.3" of the central source, and the more distant, unusual Strontium Filament, a neutral emission nebula photoexcited by Balmer continuum, but shielded by Fe II from Lyman radiation. The 600+ emission lines are due to metals usually tied up in dust, but underabundances of C and O prevent precipitation as oxides onto the dust grains. Indications are that Ti/Ni is 100X solar, likely due not to nuclear processing, but the very different photo-excitation environments coupled with N-rich, C-, O-poor chemistry. In the Homunculus, level populations of the molecules indicate 60K gas; the metal absorption lines, 760K; that of the Little Homunculus 6400K during the broad spectroscopic maximum, relaxing to 5000K for the few month long minimum. Lyman radiation, including both continuum and Lyman lines, is trapped across periastron. leading to temporary relaxation of the ejecta. These ejecta are a treasure trove of information on material thrown out of massive stars in the CNO-cycle, well before the helium burning phase. Curiously, spectra of three very recent SWIFT GRBs indicate the presence of warm, photoexcited ejecta in the vicinity of the protoGRBs, but obviously of very different abundances. However, the ejecta of Eta Carinae promise to be a nearby example of massive ejecta, the study of which should lead to increased insight of earlier, very distant massive stars.

Gull, Theodore↗
DOE OSTI2014

Indirect methods of determination of the asymptotic normalization coefficients and their application for nuclear astrophysics

The basic methods of the determination of asymptotic normalization coefficient for A+a→B of astrophysical interest are briefly presented. The results of the application of the specific asymptotic normalization coefficients derived within these methods for the extrapolation of the astrophysical S factors to experimentally inaccessible energy regions (E ≤ 25 keV) for the some specific radiative capture A(a,γ)B reactions of the pp-chain and the CNO cycle are presented.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Constraints on lepton asymmetry from nucleosynthesis in a linearly coasting cosmology

We study the effect of neutrino degeneracy on primordial nucleosynthesis in a universe in which the cosmological scale factor evolves linearly with time. The degeneracy parameter of electron type neutrinos (ξ{sub e}) determines the n/p (neutron to proton) ratio, which in turn determines the abundance of {sup 4}He in a manner quite distinct from the Standard Scenario. The observed abundances of {sup 4}He, Y{sub P} = 0.254 ± 0.003, and the minimum metallicity that is essential for fragmentation and cooling processes in star forming prestellar gas clouds (Z = Z{sub cr} = 10{sup −6}Z{sub ⊙}), constrain the baryon to photon ratio, η{sub B} = (3.927±0.292)10{sup −9}, corresponding to a baryonic matter density, Ω{sub B} = 0.263 ± 0.026 and ξ{sub e} = -2.165 ± 0.171. This closes the dynamic mass estimates of matter in the universe, obtained from large scale velocity dispersion in galaxy clusters, by baryons alone. Useful byproducts are the threshold X(CNO) abundances required to trigger the CNO cycle in the observed low metallicity stars in the universe.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

LUNA and the Sun

One of the main ingredients of nuclear astrophysics is the knowledge of the thermonu-clear reactions responsible for the stellar luminosity and for the synthesis of the chemical elements. Deep underground in the Gran Sasso Laboratory the cross section of the key reactions of the proton-proton chain and of the Carbon-Nitrogen-Oxygen (CNO) cycle have been measured right down to the energies of astrophysical interest. The main results obtained in the past 20 years are reviewed and their influence on our understanding of the properties of the neutrino and the Sun is discussed.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

ELEMENT DISTRIBUTIONS IN THE CRAB NEBULA

Images of the Crab Nebula have been obtained through custom interference filters that transmit emission from the expanding supernova remnant in He II {lambda}4686, H{beta}, He I {lambda}5876, [O I] {lambda}{lambda}6300, 6364, [N II] {lambda}{lambda}6548, 6583, [S II] {lambda}{lambda}6716, 6731, [S III] {lambda}9069, and [C I] {lambda}{lambda}9823, 9850. We present both raw and flux-calibrated emission-line images. Arrays of 19,440 photoionization models, with extensive input abundance ranges, were matched pixel by pixel to the calibrated data in order to derive corresponding element abundance or mass-fraction distributions for helium, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur. These maps show distinctive structure, and they illustrate regions of gas in which various stages of nucleosynthesis have apparently occurred, including the CNO cycle, helium burning, carbon burning, and oxygen burning. It is hoped that the calibrated observations and chemical abundance distribution maps will be useful for developing a better understanding of the precursor star evolution and the supernova explosive process.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

Publisher's Note: Level structure 18 Ne and its importance in the 14 O(α,p) 17 F reaction rate [Phys. Rev. C 86, 025801(2012)]

The level structure of 18 Ne above the α-decay threshold has been studied using the 16 O( 3 He,n) reaction. A coincidence measurement of neutrons and charged particles decaying from populated states in 18 Ne has been made. Decay branching ratios were measured for six resonances and used to calculate the 14 O(α,p) 17 F reaction rate which is a measure of one of two breakout paths from the Hot CNO cycle. As a result, the new experimental information combined with previous experimental and theoretical information, provides a more accurate calculation of the reaction rate.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

FAINT POPULATION III SUPERNOVAE AS THE ORIGIN OF THE MOST IRON-POOR STARS

The most iron-poor stars in the Milky Way provide important observational clues to the astrophysical objects that enriched the primordial gas with heavy elements. Among them, the recently discovered iron-deficient star SMSS J031300.36–670839.3 shows a remarkable chemical composition with a non-detection of iron ([Fe/H] <–7.1) and large enhancement of carbon and magnesium relative to calcium. We investigate supernova yields of metal-free (Population III) stars to interpret the abundance pattern observed in this star. We report that the high [C/Ca] and [C/Mg] ratios and upper limits of other elemental abundances are well reproduced with the yields of core-collapse supernovae (which have normal kinetic energies of explosion E of E {sub 51} = E/10{sup 51} erg =1) and hypernovae (E {sub 51} ≥ 10) of Population III 25 M {sub ☉} or 40 M {sub ☉} stars. The best-fit models assume that the explosions undergo extensive matter mixing and fallback, leaving behind a black hole remnant. In these models, Ca is produced by static/explosive O burning and incomplete Si burning in the Population III supernova/hypernova, in contrast to the suggestion that Ca is originated from the hot-CNO cycle during pre-supernova evolution. Chemical abundances of four carbon-rich iron-poor stars with [Fe/H] <–4.5, including SMSS J031300.36–670839.3, are consistently explained by faint supernova models with ejected masses of {sup 56}Ni less than 10{sup –3} M {sub ☉}.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

MODELS FOR METAL-POOR STARS WITH ENHANCED ABUNDANCES OF C, N, O, Ne, Na, Mg, Si, S, Ca, AND Ti, IN TURN, AT CONSTANT HELIUM AND IRON ABUNDANCES

Recent work has shown that most globular clusters have at least two chemically distinct components, as well as cluster-to-cluster differences in the mean [O/Fe], [Mg/Fe], and [Si/Fe] ratios at similar [Fe/H] values. In order to investigate the implications of variations in the abundances of these and other metals for H-R diagrams and predicted ages, grids of evolutionary sequences have been computed for scaled solar and enhanced {alpha}-element metal abundances, and for mixtures in which the assumed [m/Fe] value for each of the metals C, N, O, Ne, Na, Mg, Si, S, Ca, and Ti has been increased, in turn, by 0.4 dex at constant [Fe/H]. These tracks, together with isochrones for ages from Almost-Equal-To 5 to 14 Gyr, have been computed for -3.0 {<=} [Fe/H] {<=}-0.6, with helium abundances Y = 0.25, 0.29, and 0.33 at each [Fe/H] value, using upgraded versions of the Victoria stellar structure program and the Regina interpolation code, respectively. Turnoff luminosity versus age relations from isochrones are found to depend almost entirely on the importance of the CNO cycle, and thereby mainly on the abundance of oxygen. Since C, N, and O, as well as Ne and S, do not contribute significantly to the opacities at low temperatures and densities, variations in their abundances do not impact the predicted T{sub eff} scale of red giants. The latter is a strong function of the abundances of only Mg and Si (and Fe, possibly to a lesser extent) because they are so abundant and because they are strong sources of opacity at low temperatures. For these reasons, Mg and Si also have important effects on the temperatures of main-sequence stars. Due to their low abundances, Na, Ca, and Ti are of little consequence for stellar models. The effects of varying the adopted solar metals mixture and the helium abundance at a fixed [Fe/H] are also briefly discussed.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

Lifetime measurement of the 6.79 MeV state in {sup 15}O with the AGATA demonstrator

The preliminary results of a new direct measurement of the lifetime of the first excited 3/2{sup +} state in {sup 15}O are discussed. An accurate evaluation of this lifetime is of paramount importance for the determination of the cross section of the {sup 14}N(p,{gamma}){sup 15}O reaction, the slowest one in the CNO cycle, at the energies of the solar Gamow peak. The {sup 2}H({sup 14}N,{sup 15}O)n reaction in inverse kinematics at 32MeV beam energy (XTU Tandem, LNL) was used to populate the level of interest, which decays via a 6.79 MeV E1 gamma-ray transition to the ground state. Gamma rays were detected with 4 triple clusters of HPGe detectors of the AGATA Demonstrator array. The energy resolution and position sensitivity of this state-of-the-art gamma-ray spectrometer have been exploited to investigate the Doppler Shift Attenuation effect on the lineshape of the gamma-ray peak in the energy spectrum. The deconvolution of the lifetime effects from those due to the kinematics of the emitting nuclei has been performed using detailed Monte Carlo simulations of the gamma emission and detection. CDCC-CRC calculations for the nucleon transfer process have been used for this purpose and preliminary results are shown.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Astrophysics studies relevant to stellar x-ray bursts

Two reactions of {sup 14}O(α,p){sup 17}F and {sup 18}Ne(α,p){sup 21}Na provide the pathways for breakout from the hot CNO cycles to the rp-process in type I X-ray bursts. To better determine their astrophysical reaction rates, resonance parameters of the compound nuclei {sup 18}Ne and {sup 22}Mg have been investigated by the resonant elastic scattering of {sup 17}F+p and {sup 21}Na+p, respectively. The {sup 17}F and {sup 21}Na radioactive ion beams were produced at the CNS Radioactive Ion Beam Separator and impinged on the thick proton targets. The excitation functions were obtained with a thick-target method over a wide excitation energy range. The resonance parameters in the compound nuclei {sup 18}Ne and {sup 22}Mg have been determined through an R-matrix analysis. New reaction rates of these two (α,p) reactions are recalculated. The astrophysical impact for the {sup 18}Ne(α,p){sup 21}Na reaction has been investigated through one-zone postprocessing X-ray burst calculations.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗