Abstract
Galactic 26Al is the first radioactive nucleus to be positively identified by γ -ray astronomy with detection
of the 1.809 MeV γ ray associated with its decay. This nucleus is destroyed in astrophysical environments in
the 26Al(p,γ )27Si and inelastic 26Al+p scattering reactions where properties of 27Si levels determine reaction
rates. To investigate these properties, elastic and inelastic 26Al+p scattering reactions were measured between
Ec.m. = 0.5–1.5 MeV at the Holifield Radioactive Ion Beam Facility (HRIBF) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory
(ORNL). A candidate for a new resonance in the 26Al(p,γ )27Si reaction was identified. Upper limits were also
set on the strengths of postulated resonances and on the cross section of the inelastic reaction, but there is little
effect on current reaction rate calculations.
