IMPLICATIONS OF THE C-14(ALPHA,GAMMA)O-18 REACTION FOR NONSTANDARD BIG-BANG NUCLEOSYNTHESIS

The thermonuclear burning rates for the C-14 (alpha, gamma) O-18 radiative capture reaction are calculated at temperatures (0.3 < T < 10 GK) of relevance to the early universe. These rates are particularly important for estimating the formation of heavy elements in an inhomogeneous big bang nucleosynthesis, proposed by Applegate, Hogan, and Scherrer (that would suggest the quark-gluon to hadron phase transition is first order). We investigate the effect of a possible new broad (GAMMA almost-equal 0.45 MeV) 1- state, at approximately 9.0 MeV in O-18, as would be deduced from the Yale-Michigan State University measurement of the beta-delayed alpha-particle emission of N-18 and suggested by the Notre Dame-Caltech measurement of the nonresonant C-14 (alpha, gamma)O-18 cross section. The gamma widths of the proposed broad state is estimated using the Alhassid, Gai, and Bertsch sum rule, and an experimental study is proposed.