Study of 21Na(p,γ)22Mg using the DRAGON separator Original Research Article

The DRAGON facility at TRIUMF-ISAC has been used to study the radiative capture of hydrogen by unstable 21Na, at energies of interest in nuclear astrophysics. The strength of the reaction was measured for resonant capture through five excited states of 22Mg and a limit set for one other state. Yields ranging between 10-12 and 10-10 per incident beam particle were observed. Only the state at 5.714 MeV makes a significant contribution to 22Na production by explosive burning in Oxygen-Neon novae. Careful comparison of the beam energy for capture through the 5.714 MeV state against the beam energy for a well-studied stable-beam resonance indicates the need for a re-adjustment of the 22Mg mass.