The ${}^{24}\mathrm{Mg}({}^3\mathrm{He},t){}^{24}$Al reaction was studied at $E({}^3\mathrm{He})=420$ MeV. An energy resolution of 35 keV was achieved. Gamow-Teller strengths to discrete levels in ${}^{24}\mathrm{Al}$ were extracted by using a recently developed empirical relationship for the proportionality between Gamow-Teller strengths and differential cross sections at zero momentum transfer. Except for small discrepancies for a few weak excitations, good agreement with previous ${}^{24}\mathrm{Mg}$($p,n$) data and nuclear-structure calculations using the USDA/B interactions in the $\mathit{sd}$ shell-model space was found. The excitation energy of several levels in ${}^{24}\mathrm{Al}$ of significance for determination of the ${}^{23}\mathrm{Mg}$${(p,\gamma )}^{24}$Al thermonuclear reaction rate were measured. Results are consistent with two of the three previous (${}^3\mathrm{He}$,$t$) measurements, performed at much lower beam energies. However, a new state at $E_x({}^{24}\mathrm{Al})=2.605(10)$ MeV was found and is the third state above the proton separation energy.

• Received 22 March 2008

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.78.014314