O16(p,γ)F17 Reaction and the C and O Isotopic Ratios in Red Giant Branch Stars
Abstract
The 16O/17O isotopic ratio is a widely used tracer of nucleosynthesis and mixing processes in red giant stars. Its value depends on the rates of the proton-capture reactions responsible for the production and destruction of 16O and 17O among which the 16O(p,γ)17F reaction plays a central role, as it involves both isotopes. This work reports on a new measurement of the 16O(p,γ)17F cross section carried out at the Laboratory for Underground Nuclear Astrophysics (LUNA) over a center-of-mass energy range of 200 - 380 keV, a region previously unexplored by experimental studies. Two complementary techniques were employed: prompt gamma-ray detection and activation. The results obtained with the two techniques are consistent within experimental uncertainties. From the measured cross sections and existing literature data, we evaluate a new thermonuclear reaction rate, which is then used to demonstrate how simultaneous measurements of stellar carbon and oxygen isotopic ratios constrain the initial mass and the extent of the mixing events in red giant branch stars. In particular, we demonstrate how the 12C/13C abundance ratio is primarily sensitive to the temperature Tmax attained during mixing, whereas the 16O/17O abundance ratio is highly sensitive to the initial stellar mass Mi. Therefore, simultaneous measurements of these isotopic ratios can disentangle and place stringent constraints on Mi and Tmax, and the remaining uncertainty is now dominated by stellar abundance measurements rather than nuclear-physics inputs.
Versions
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BibTeX
@article{robb2026o16pγf17,
title = {{O16(p,γ)F17 Reaction and the C and O Isotopic Ratios in Red Giant Branch Stars}},
author = {D Robb and P Mcglynn and M Aliotta and C Ananna and F Barile and L Barbieri and D Bemmerer and A Best and R Biasissi and A Boeltzig and R Bonnell and C Broggini and C.G Bruno and A Caciolli and M Campostrini and F Casaburo and F Cavanna and G.F Ciani and T Chillery and P Colombetti and A Compagnucci and P Corvisiero and L Csedreki and T Davinson and R Depalo and A Di Leva and Z Elekes and F Ferraro and A Formicola and Zs Fülöp and G Gervino and R.M Gesuè and G Gosta and Gy Gyürky and A Guglielmetti and C Gustavino and C Hebborn and G Imbriani and M Junker and M Lugaro and J Marsh and E Masha and R Menegazzo and D Mercogliano and V Paticchio and D Piatti and P Prati and D Rapagnani and V Rigato and M Rossi and R Sariyal and R.S Sidhu and J Skowronski and O Straniero and T Szücs and S Turkat and M Vagnoni and S Zavatarelli},
journal = {Phys.Rev.Lett.},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1103/tclf-b44m},
eprint = {2610.20235},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05828737v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - O16(p,γ)F17 Reaction and the C and O Isotopic Ratios in Red Giant Branch Stars
AU - D Robb
AU - P Mcglynn
AU - M Aliotta
AU - C Ananna
AU - F Barile
AU - L Barbieri
AU - D Bemmerer
AU - A Best
AU - R Biasissi
AU - A Boeltzig
AU - R Bonnell
AU - C Broggini
AU - C.G Bruno
AU - A Caciolli
AU - M Campostrini
AU - F Casaburo
AU - F Cavanna
AU - G.F Ciani
AU - T Chillery
AU - P Colombetti
AU - A Compagnucci
AU - P Corvisiero
AU - L Csedreki
AU - T Davinson
AU - R Depalo
AU - A Di Leva
AU - Z Elekes
AU - F Ferraro
AU - A Formicola
AU - Zs Fülöp
AU - G Gervino
AU - R.M Gesuè
AU - G Gosta
AU - Gy Gyürky
AU - A Guglielmetti
AU - C Gustavino
AU - C Hebborn
AU - G Imbriani
AU - M Junker
AU - M Lugaro
AU - J Marsh
AU - E Masha
AU - R Menegazzo
AU - D Mercogliano
AU - V Paticchio
AU - D Piatti
AU - P Prati
AU - D Rapagnani
AU - V Rigato
AU - M Rossi
AU - R Sariyal
AU - R.S Sidhu
AU - J Skowronski
AU - O Straniero
AU - T Szücs
AU - S Turkat
AU - M Vagnoni
AU - S Zavatarelli
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/14
JO - Phys.Rev.Lett.
DO - 10.1103/tclf-b44m
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05828737v1
AB - The ^16O/^17O isotopic ratio is a widely used tracer of nucleosynthesis and mixing processes in red giant stars. Its value depends on the rates of the proton-capture reactions responsible for the production and destruction of ^16O and ^17O among which the ^16O(p,γ)^17F reaction plays a central role, as it involves both isotopes. This work reports on a new measurement of the ^16O(p,γ)^17F cross section carried out at the Laboratory for Underground Nuclear Astrophysics (LUNA) over a center-of-mass energy range of 200 - 380 keV, a region previously unexplored by experimental studies. Two complementary techniques were employed: prompt gamma-ray detection and activation. The results obtained with the two techniques are consistent within experimental uncertainties. From the measured cross sections and existing literature data, we evaluate a new thermonuclear reaction rate, which is then used to demonstrate how simultaneous measurements of stellar carbon and oxygen isotopic ratios constrain the initial mass and the extent of the mixing events in red giant branch stars. In particular, we demonstrate how the ^12C/^13C abundance ratio is primarily sensitive to the temperature T_max attained during mixing, whereas the ^16O/^17O abundance ratio is highly sensitive to the initial stellar mass M_i. Therefore, simultaneous measurements of these isotopic ratios can disentangle and place stringent constraints on M_i and T_max, and the remaining uncertainty is now dominated by stellar abundance measurements rather than nuclear-physics inputs.
ER -