The Mass of $^{22}Mg

Mass measurements with a relative precision of better than 1.5×10–8 were performed on 22Mg and its reaction partners 21Na and 22Na with the ISOLTRAP Penning trap mass spectrometer at CERN, yielding the mass excesses D(22Mg) = –399.92(27) keV, D(21Na) = –2184.71(21) keV, and D(22Na) = –5181.56(16) keV. The importance of these results is twofold. First, a comparative half-life (Ft value) has been obtained for the superallowed beta decay of 22Mg to further test the conserved-vector-current hypothesis. Second, the resonance energy for the 21Na proton capture reaction has been independently determined, allowing direct comparisons of observable gamma radiation in nova explosions with the yield expected from models.