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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Clarification of the Three-Body Decay ofC12(12.71 MeV)

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description

Using $\ensuremath{\beta}$ decays of a clean source of $^{12}\mathrm{N}$ produced at the IGISOL facility, we have measured the breakup of the $^{12}\mathrm{C}$ (12.71 MeV) state into three $\ensuremath{\alpha}$ particles with a segmented particle detector setup. The high quality of the data permits solving the question of the breakup mechanism of the 12.71 MeV state, a longstanding problem in few-body nuclear physics. Among existing models, a modified sequential model fits the data best, but systematic deviations indicate that a three-body description is needed.