Active Target Measurement of the ^25,26Mg(α,n)^28,29Si Total Cross Section

The observation of gamma rays from the decay of ²⁶Al provides direct evidence of ongoing nucleosynthesis in the galaxy. While the observed distribution of ²⁶Al points to massive stars as the main production site, the underlying nuclear processes are uncertain. Two reactions contributing to the uncertainty of ²⁶Al production are the ²⁵Mg(α,n)²⁸Si and ²⁶Mg(α,n)²⁹Si reactions. While previous measurements have been made, discrepant data has led to uncertainties in these reaction rates for explosive and shell C/Ne burning in massive stars. To resolve these uncertainties, a measurement of the ^25,26Mg(α,n)^28.29Si total cross-section was performed with a new Active Target Detector at The University of Notre Dame’s Nuclear Science Lab. The results of these measurements will be discussed.