First direct mass measurement of the neutron-deficient nucleus 24Al

The first direct mass measurement of the neutron-deficient nucleus Al-24 was performed via Penning-Trap Mass Spectrometry (PTMS) using TRIUMF's Ion Trap for Atomic and Nuclear science (TITAN). This measurement was facilitated by the use of TRIUMF's new Ion-Guide Laser Ion Source (IG-LIS), which reduced A = 24 isobaric contamination in the delivered beam by nearly six orders of magnitude. The measured mass excess was found to be Delta = -48.86(23) keV, which is five times more precise than the value quoted in the most recent atomic mass evaluation. When combined with the relevant 24Al excitation energy, and a recent measurement of the Mg-23 mass, the astrophysical Mg-23(p,gamma)Al-24 reaction resonance energy is extracted as E-r = 480.8(14) keV. The presented value shows a 2 sigma disagreement with the direct measurement of this quantity by the DRAGON recoil spectrometer.