Abstract
Of particular interest in astrophysics is the 34S(p,γ)35Cl reaction, which serves as a stepping stone in thermonuclear runaway reaction chains during a nova explosion. Though the isotopes involved are all stable, the reaction rate of this significant step is not well known, due to a lack of experimental spectroscopic information on states within the Gamow window above the proton separation threshold of 35Cl. Measurements of level spins and parities provide input for the calculation of resonance strengths, which ultimately determine the astrophysical reaction rate of the 34S(p,γ)35Cl proton capture reaction. By performing the 37Cl(p,t)35Cl reaction in normal kinematics at the Holifield Radioactive Ion Beam Facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, we have conducted a study of the region of astrophysical interest in 35Cl, and have made the first-ever constraint on the spin and parity assignment for a level at 6677±15 keV (Er=306 keV), inside the Gamow window for novae.
