Hoyle state of carbon-12

E884524

The Hoyle state of carbon-12 is an excited nuclear energy level crucial for the formation of carbon in stars, enabling the synthesis of heavier elements necessary for life.

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Statements (50)

Predicate Object
instanceOf energy level of carbon-12
excited nuclear state
resonance state
belongsTo spectrum of carbon-12 energy levels
enablesProcess efficient triple-alpha fusion in stars
hasAtomicNumber 6
hasConfiguration three-alpha cluster state
hasDecayMode decay into three alpha particles
gamma decay to excited states of carbon-12
gamma decay to the ground state of carbon-12
hasEnergyAbove3AlphaThreshold about 0.38 MeV above the triple-alpha threshold
hasExcitationEnergy about 7.65 MeV above the ground state of carbon-12
approximately 7.654 MeV above the ground state of carbon-12
hasIsospin 0
hasLifetime about 10^-16 seconds
hasMassNumber 12
hasNucleus carbon-12 NERFINISHED
hasParity positive parity
hasQuantumNumbers J^π = 0+ , T = 0
hasSelectionRules E2 and E0 gamma transitions to lower states
hasSpin 0
hasSpinParity 0+
hasStructureModel Bose–Einstein condensate–like alpha gas
alpha-cluster model
hasWidth about 8.5 eV
isAbove first excited 2+ state of carbon-12
ground state of carbon-12
isCrucialFor formation of carbon-based life
stellar nucleosynthesis of carbon
isImportantFor chemical evolution of galaxies
synthesis of heavier elements than helium in stars
isKeyExampleOf fine-tuning in nuclear physics
isMeasuredUsing inelastic alpha scattering
inelastic electron scattering
nuclear reaction experiments such as 12C(α,α')12C*
isNamedAfter Fred Hoyle NERFINISHED
isNear three-alpha breakup threshold
isPartOf carbon-12 nucleus
isPopulatedBy fusion of three helium-4 nuclei
sequential capture of alpha particles on beryllium-8
isResonanceIn triple-alpha process
isStudiedIn cluster models of nuclei
nuclear astrophysics
occursIn helium-burning cores of massive stars
helium-burning red giant stars
wasDiscoveredBy nuclear spectroscopy experiments
wasFirstObservedIn 1950s
wasPredictedBy Fred Hoyle NERFINISHED
wasPredictedFrom observed cosmic abundance of carbon
wasPredictedInContextOf anthropic reasoning about carbon abundance

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triple-alpha process dependsOn Hoyle state of carbon-12