The γ decay of the Hoyle and higher excitation energy states of 12C

The Hoyle state and few other excited levels of 12C are fundamental for the production of carbon in the universe. In particular, the γ decay branching ratio is of utmost importance, being the only way to produce a carbon at the ground state. For the purpose to precisely investigate the decay mechanism of such states we conducted an experiment, at Laboratori Nazionali del Sud-Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN-LNS), using the reaction α + 12 C at 64 MeV. We used the 4π CHIMERA detector to detect both α and γ 12 C decay channels. Details of the experiment and preliminary results are discussed in the paper.