Using a ${}^{13}$O beam, we have observed proton decays of ${}^{12}$N and ${}^{13}$O excited states following proton-knockout and inelastic interactions on a ${}^9$Be target. The excited states were determined from detected two- and three-body exit channels using the invariant mass method. The width of the second excited state of ${}^{12}$N was determined to be 55(20) keV, considerably smaller than the value listed in the ENSDF data base. Three new excited states of narrow width ($\Gamma <50$ keV) were observed in ${}^{13}$O from the $p$+${}^{12}$N and 2$p$+${}^{11}$C exit channels. One of these states ($E^{*}$ = 3.67 MeV) was found to sequentially decay to the second excited of ${}^{12}$N. We again found these data to be inconsistent with the listed decay width. The ramifications for the astrophysically interesting ${}^{11}$C($p$,$\gamma$)${}^{12}$N reaction are given.

• Received 4 April 2013
• Corrected 6 June 2013

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.87.054329