The 22Mg(α,p)25Al reaction rate has been identified as a
major source of uncertainty for understanding the nucleosynthesis flow in
Type-I x-ray bursts (XRBs). We report a direct measurement of the energy- and
angle-integrated cross sections of this reaction in a 3.3-6.9 MeV
center-of-mass energy range using the MUlti-Sampling Ionization Chamber
(MUSIC). The new 22Mg(α,p)25Al reaction rate is a factor of
∼4 higher than the previous direct measurement of this reaction within
temperatures relevant for XRBs, resulting in the 22Mg waiting point of
x-ray burst nucleosynthesis flow to be significantly bypassed via the
(α,p) reactionComment: 6 pages, 3 figures, 1 tabl