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

The 0+2 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 + 12C at 64 MeV. We used the 4π CHIMERA detector to detect both α and γ 12C decay channels. Details of the experiment and preliminary results are discussed in the paper.