Moshe Gai
Published 2003-12-18, updated 2004-09-14Version 3
B.S. Davids {\em et al.} make the explicit assumption that radiative widths of analog states in \ne22 and \mg22 are equal. We demonstrate that this misapplication of iso-spin symmetry leads to very wrong results. Considerations of elementary nuclear structure suggests that such an assumption can be inaccurate by a large factor (in \mg22), as is evident from a comparison with recent measurements of radiative width in \mg22. Estimates of radiative widths from analog transitions are common but often wrong (e.g. in \mg22) and should not be considered a useful tool in nuclear astrophysics.
Comments: Revised manuscript includes comments from John Millener that the violations are considerably more severe than I originally claimed. Comparison with recent data on 22Mg confirms the claims, a posteriori
Proton-decaying states in 22Mg and the nucleosynthesis of 22Na in novae
The $^{15}$N($\bmα$,$\bmγ$)$^{19}$F reaction and nucleosynthesis of $^{19}$F
The radiative width of the Hoyle state from $γ$-ray spectroscopy
