arXiv:nucl-ex/0609040v1 26 Sep 2006 Investigation of the 19 Na nucleus via resonance elastic scattering B.B. Skorodumov, ∗ P. Boutachkov, A. Aprahamian, J.J. Kolata, L.O. Lamm, M. Quinn, and A. Woehr Institute of Structure and Nuclear Astrophysics, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556 G.V. Rogachev Institute of Structure and Nuclear Astrophysics, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556 and Physics Department, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306 (Dated: July 3, 2018) Abstract The structure of the unbound proton-rich isotope 19 Na was studied in resonance elastic scattering of a radioactive 18 Ne beam on a proton target using the thick-target inverse-kinematics method. The experiment covered from 0.5 meV to 2.7 meV in c.m.s. Only one state of 19 Na (the second excited state) was observed. A combined R-matrix and potential model analysis was performed. The spin and parity assignment of this second excited state was confirmed to be 1/2 + . We show that the position of the 1/2 + state significantly affects the reaction rate through that state but the total reaction rate remains unchanged since the 18 Ne(2p,γ ) proceeds mostly via the ground and first excited states in 19 Na at stellar temperatures. * Electronic address: bskorodo@nd.edu 1