Experimental Investigation of the ^{16}O + ^{16}O Total Reaction Cross Section at Astrophysical Energies

Abstract

Results are presented for the 160 + 160 total reaction cross-section measured between E = 6.8 and 11.85 MeV, near the region of astrophysical interest. Many exit channels were investigated by using a number of different experimental techniques, and cross-sections for these exit channels are given. The large number of energetically accessible excited states in the heavy reaction products and three-body exit channels made the determination of the total reaction cross-section difficult. The total reaction cross-section was found to be a smooth function of the 160 + 160 energy, in contrast to the behavior of 12C + 12C and lIC + 160.