Reevaluation of the $^{14}$O($\alpha$,p)$^{17}$F Resonant Reaction Rate

Abstract

The reaction rates of the key stellar reaction of $^{14}$O($\alpha$,p)$^{17}$F have been reevaluated. It is thought that the previous 1$^-$ assignment for the 6.15-MeV state is incorrect by a careful reanalysis of the previous experimental data [J. G\'{o}mez del Campo {\it et al.}, Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 86}, 43 (2001)]. Most probably, the 6.286-MeV state is the key 1$^-$ state and the 6.15-MeV state is a 2$^-$ one, and hence the resonance at $E_x$=6.286 MeV ($J^{\pi}$=1$^-$) actually dominates the reaction rates in the temperature region of astrophysical interests. The newly calculated reaction rates for the $^{14}$O($\alpha$,p)$^{17}$F reaction are quite different from the previous ones, for instance, it's only about 1/6 of the previous value around 0.4 GK, while it's about 2.4 times larger than the previous value around 2 GK. The astrophysical implications have been briefly discussed based on the present conclusions.