Determining The O-14(Alpha,P)F-17 Astrophysical Rate From Measurements At Twinsol

The O-14(alpha,p)F-17 reaction is an important trigger reaction to the alpha-p process in X-ray bursts. The most stringent experimental constraints on its astrophysical rate come from measurements of the time-inverse reaction, F-17(p,alpha)O-14. Previous studies of this inverse reaction have sufficiently characterized the high-energy dependence of the cross section but there are still significant uncertainties at lower energies. A new measurement of the F-17(p,alpha)O-14 cross section is underway at the Twin Solenoid (TwinSol) facility at the University of Notre Dame using an in-flight secondary F-17 beam. The initial results are promising but improvements are needed to complete the measurement. The initial data and plans for an improved measurement are presented in this manuscript. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.