Measuring<sup>12</sup>C(α, γ)<sup>16</sup>O from White Dwarf Asteroseismology
Measuring<sup>12</sup>C(α, γ)<sup>16</sup>O from White Dwarf Asteroseismology
During helium burning in the core of a red giant, the relative rates of the 3&alpha and ^{12}C(&alpha,&gamma)^{16}O reactions largely determine the final ratio of carbon to oxygen in the resulting white dwarf star. The uncertainty in the 3&alpha reaction at stellar energies due to the extrapolation from high-energy laboratory …