Excited states in $^{22}$Mg and the $^{21}$Na(p,$\gamma$)$^{22}$Mg reaction

In explosive astrophysical scenarios like novae or x-ray bursts, the $^{21}$Na(p,$\gamma$)$^{22}$Mg reaction is believed to play an important role. The proton capture proceeds predominantly via isolated states in the $^{22}$Mg nucleus. This talk will present results from a search for excited states in $^{22}$Mg via the $^{12}$C+$^{12}$C reaction measured at HRIBF (ORNL). A direct measurement of $^{21}$Na(p,$\gamma$)$^{22}$Mg was performed with a radioactive ion beam at ISAC (TRIUMF), using the DRAGON separator. We also used the DRAGON's BGO array to measure the $\gamma$-branching ratios of the excited states in $^ {22}$Mg, and compared their J$^{\pi}$ assignments with previously published values.