Stellar Reactions with Short-Lived Nuclei: 17F(p,α)14O

A method has been developed that can provide beams of many short-lived nuclei of interest in nucleosynthesis along the rp process path. With a 17F beam (T1/2=64 s) the excitation function of the 17F(p,α)14O reaction was measured to determine properties of excited states in 18Ne. These states influence the rate of the 14O(α,p)17F reaction which is important for understanding energy generation and nucleosynthesis in x-ray bursts. The present direct measurements yield a pattern of resonances and cross sections which differ substantially from previous estimates.