Stellar neutron capture cross sections of ⁴¹K and ⁴⁵Sc

The neutron capture cross sections of light nuclei (

Stellar (n,γ) cross sections of ²³Na

The cross section of the ²³Na(n,γ)²⁴Na reaction has been measured via the activation method at the Karlsruhe 3.7 MV Van de Graaff accelerator. NaCl samples were exposed to quasistellar neutron spectra at kT = 5.1 and 25 keV produced via the ¹⁸O(p,n)¹⁸F and ⁷Li(p,n)⁷Be reactions, respectively. The derived capture cross sections (σ)kT=5keV = 9.1 ± 0.3mb and (σ)kT=25keV = 2.03 ± 0.05 mb are significantly lower than reported in literature. These results were used to substantially revise the radiative width of the first ²³Na resonance and to establish an improved set of Maxwellian average cross sections. The implications of the lower capture cross section for current models of s-process nucleosynthesis are discussed

The s-process branching at 185W

The neutron capture cross section of the unstable nucleus 185W has been derived from experimental photoactivation data of the inverse reaction 186W(gamma,n)185W. The new result of sigma = (687 +- 110) mbarn confirms the theoretically predicted neutron capture cross section of 185W of sigma = 700 mbarn at kT = 30 keV. A neutron density in the classical s-process of n_n = (3.8 +0.9 -0.8} * 1e8 cm-3 is derived from the new data for the 185W branching. In a stellar s-process model one finds a significant overproduction of the residual s-only nucleus 186Os.Comment: ApJ, in pres

Tuning the Re/Os Clock: Stellar-Neutron Cross Sections

The neutron-capture cross sections of 186,187Os have been recently measured at the CERN neutron time-of-flight facility n_TOF for an improved evaluation of the Re/Os cosmo-chronometer. This experimental information was complemented by nuclear model calculations for obtaining the proper astrophysical reaction rates at s-process temperatures. The calculated results and their implications for the determination of the time-duration of nucleosynthesis during galactic chemical evolution is discusse

Stellar neutron capture cross sections of ²⁰ ²¹ ²²Ne

The stellar (n,γ) cross sections of the Ne isotopes are important for a number of astrophysical quests, i.e., for the interpretation of abundance patterns in presolar material or with respect to the s-process neutron balance in red giant stars. This paper presents resonance studies of experimental data in the keV range, which had not been fully analyzed before. The analyses were carried out with the R-matrix code sammy. With these results for the resonant part and by adding the components due to direct radiative capture, improved Maxwellian-averaged cross sections (MACS) could be determined. At kT=30keV thermal energy we obtain MACS values of 240±29,1263±160, and 53.2±2.7 μbarn for ²⁰Ne,²¹Ne, and ²²Ne, respectively. In earlier work the stellar rates of ²⁰Ne and ²¹Ne had been grossly overestimated. ²²Ne and ²⁰Ne are significant neutron poisons for the s process in stars because their very small MACS values are compensated by their large abundances

Direct radiative capture of p-wave neutrons

The neutron direct radiative capture (DRC) process is investigated, highlighting the role of incident p-wave neutrons. A set of calculations is shown for the 12-C(n,gamma) process at incoming neutron energies up to 500 keV, a crucial region for astrophysics. The cross section for neutron capture leading to loosely bound s, p and d orbits of 13-C is well reproduced by the DRC model demonstrating the feasibility of using this reaction channel to study the properties of nuclear wave functions on and outside the nuclear surface. A sensitivity analysis of the results on the neutron-nucleus interaction is performed for incident s- as well as p-waves. It turned out that the DRC cross section for p-wave neutrons is insensitive to this interaction, contrary to the case of incident s-wave neutrons. PACS number(s): 25.40Lw,21.10Gv,23.40.HcComment: 16 pages, REVTeX file, PostScript file, .dvi fil

Clustering in 18O - absolute determination of branching ratios via high-resolution particle spectroscopy

The determination of absolute branching ratios for high-energy states in light nuclei is an important and useful tool for probing the underlying nuclear structure of individual resonances: for example, in establishing the tendency of an excited state towards α -cluster structure. Difficulty arises in measuring these branching ratios due to similarities in available decay channels, such as ( 18 O, n ) and ( 18 O, 2 n ), as well as differences in geometric efficiencies due to population of bound excited levels in daughter nuclei. Methods are presented using Monte Carlo techniques to overcome these issues

Defective production of interferon-γ and tumour necrosis factor-α by AIDS mononuclear cells after in vitro exposure to Rhodococcus equi

The production of interferon-γ and tumour necrosis factor-α was evaluated in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from healthy donors and AIDS patients after Rhodococcus equi infection in vitro. PBMCs from healthy donors secreted elevated levels of IFN-γ and TNF-α when challenged in vitro with killed R. equi, whereas the release of both cytokines was impaired in supernatant cultures from AIDS patients. We conclude that the failure of IFN-γ generation in AIDS patients in response to R. equi is not antigen-specific but it may reflect the global impairment of T-cell function. In such patients, however, the infection with R. equi, a facultative intracellular pathogen which survives and replicates within macrophages, may be responsible for the impairment in the TNF-α release, possibly enhancing the HIV-induced macrophage dysftmction