Cross section and stellar reaction rates for the 42Ca(p, γ) reaction

The cross section for the ⁴²Ca(p, γ)⁴³Sc reaction has been measured over the lab energy range from 0.7 to 5.5 MeV using a positron spectrometer to measure the annihilation radiation from the decay of 3.9 h ⁴³Sc. Stellar reaction rates N_A〈σv〉 have been calculated from the experimental cross section curve for a series of three temperatures of interest for explosive oxygen and silicon burning in stars. The calculated rates are compared with the theoretical predictions of Woosley et al. and found to be in agreement within the experimental errors and the quoted validity of the theoretical calculation