New Measurement of the Direct 3α Decay from the C12 Hoyle State

Robin Smith; Tz. Kokalova; C. Wheldon; J. E. Bishop; M. Freer; N. Curtis; David Parker

doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.119.132502

New Measurement of the Direct 3α Decay from the C12 Hoyle State

Robin Smith, Tz. Kokalova, C. Wheldon, J. E. Bishop, M. Freer, N. Curtis, David Parker

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Abstract

Excited states in certain atomic nuclei possess an unusual structure, where the dominant degrees of freedom are those of α clusters rather than individual nucleons. It has been proposed that the diffuse 3α system of the 12C Hoyle state may behave like a Bose-Einstein condensate, where the α clusters maintain their bosonic identities. By measuring the decay of the Hoyle state into three α particles, we obtained an upper limit for the rare direct 3α decay branch of 0.047%. This value is now at a level comparable with theoretical predictions and could be a sensitive probe of the structure of this state.

Original language	English
Article number	132502
Journal	Physical Review Letters
Volume	119
Issue number	13
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.119.132502
Publication status	Published - 25 Sept 2017

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10.1103/PhysRevLett.119.132502

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Checked for eligibility: 09/10/2017 Smith, R., et al. "New Measurement of the Direct 3 α Decay from the C 12 Hoyle State." Physical Review Letters 119.13 (2017): 132502 © 2017 American Physical Society https://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevLett.119.132502
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Birmingham Nuclear Physics Group Consolidated Grant
Jones, P., Evans, P., Freer, M. & Wheldon, C.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY FACILITIES COUNCIL
1/08/14 → 30/09/18
Project: Research Councils
Nuclear Structure, Astrophysics and Reactions (NuSTAR) at FAIR
Freer, M. & Tungate, G.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY FACILITIES COUNCIL
1/07/09 → 31/03/15
Project: Research Councils

Cite this

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abstract = "Excited states in certain atomic nuclei possess an unusual structure, where the dominant degrees of freedom are those of α clusters rather than individual nucleons. It has been proposed that the diffuse 3α system of the 12C Hoyle state may behave like a Bose-Einstein condensate, where the α clusters maintain their bosonic identities. By measuring the decay of the Hoyle state into three α particles, we obtained an upper limit for the rare direct 3α decay branch of 0.047%. This value is now at a level comparable with theoretical predictions and could be a sensitive probe of the structure of this state.",

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AU - Kokalova, Tz.

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AU - Curtis, N.

AU - Parker, David

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N2 - Excited states in certain atomic nuclei possess an unusual structure, where the dominant degrees of freedom are those of α clusters rather than individual nucleons. It has been proposed that the diffuse 3α system of the 12C Hoyle state may behave like a Bose-Einstein condensate, where the α clusters maintain their bosonic identities. By measuring the decay of the Hoyle state into three α particles, we obtained an upper limit for the rare direct 3α decay branch of 0.047%. This value is now at a level comparable with theoretical predictions and could be a sensitive probe of the structure of this state.

AB - Excited states in certain atomic nuclei possess an unusual structure, where the dominant degrees of freedom are those of α clusters rather than individual nucleons. It has been proposed that the diffuse 3α system of the 12C Hoyle state may behave like a Bose-Einstein condensate, where the α clusters maintain their bosonic identities. By measuring the decay of the Hoyle state into three α particles, we obtained an upper limit for the rare direct 3α decay branch of 0.047%. This value is now at a level comparable with theoretical predictions and could be a sensitive probe of the structure of this state.

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New Measurement of the Direct 3α Decay from the C12 Hoyle State

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Projects

Birmingham Nuclear Physics Group Consolidated Grant

Nuclear Structure, Astrophysics and Reactions (NuSTAR) at FAIR

Cite this