A new measurement of the pair-decay branch of the 12C Hoyle state

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This experiment will determine the rate of helium burning in stars, through which the carbon we consist of have been created. This is done through a measurement of key properties of the so-called Hoyle state, an excited version of carbon-12 which greatly speeds up the burning of helium. The measurement is important for the understanding of how the Universe was enriched with carbon prior to the formation of the Earth, as well as for the foundations of supernova explosions and the creation of a whole range of chemical elements found on Earth and in the Universe.