  We review the status of the 12C(a,g)16O reaction rate, of importance for
stellar processes in a progenitor star prior to a super-nova collapse. Several
attempts to constrain the p-wave S-factor of the 12C(a,g)16O reaction at Helium
burning temperatures (200 MK) using the beta-delayed alpha-particle emission of
16N have been made, and it is claimed that this S-factor is known, as quoted by
the TRIUMF collaboration. In contrast reanalyses (by G.M. hale) of all thus far
available data (including the 16N data) does not rule out a small S-factor
solution. Furthermore, we improved our previous Yale-UConn study of the beta-
delayed alpha-particle emission of \n16 by improving our statistical sample (by
more than a factor of 5), improving the energy resolution of the experiment (by
20%), and in understanding our line shape, deduced from measured quantities.
Our newly measured spectrum of the beta-delayed alpha-particle emission of 16N
is not consistent with the TRIUMF('94) data, but is consistent with the
Seattle('95) data, as well as the earlier (unaltered !) data of Mainz('71). The
implication of this discrepancies for the extracted astrophysical p-wave
s-factor is briefly discussed.
