New Measurement of the Hoyle State Radiative Transition Width

The radiative decay of the Hoyle state is the doorway to the production of heavier elements in stellar environment. Here we report, an exclusive measurement of electric quadruple (E_2) transitions of the Hoyle state to the ground state of ^{12}C through the ^{12}C(p, p^\prime\gamma\gamma)^{12}C reaction. Triple coincidence measurement yields a... Show more