93 research outputs found
Stellar neutron capture cross sections of ⁴¹K and ⁴⁵Sc
The neutron capture cross sections of light nuclei (
Neutron activation of natural zinc samples at kT = 25 keV
The neutron-capture cross sections of 64Zn, 68Zn, and 70Zn have been measured
with the activation technique in a quasistellar neutron spectrum corresponding
to a thermal energy of kT = 25 keV. By a series of repeated irradiations with
different experimental conditions, an uncertainty of 3% could be achieved for
the 64Zn(n,g)65Zn cross section and for the partial cross section
68Zn(n,g)69Zn-m feeding the isomeric state in 69Zn. For the partial cross
sections 70Zn(n,g)71Zn-m and 70Zn(n,g)71Zn-g, which had not been measured so
far, uncertainties of only 16% and 6% could be reached because of limited
counting statistics and decay intensities. Compared to previous measurements on
64,68Zn, the uncertainties could be significantly improved, while the 70Zn
cross section was found to be two times smaller than existing model
calculations. From these results Maxwellian average cross sections were
determined between 5 and 100 keV. Additionally, the beta-decay half-life of
71Zn-m could be determined with significantly improved accuracy. The
consequences of these data have been studied by network calculations for
convective core He burning and convective shell C burning in massive stars
Neutron Capture Cross Sections for the Weak s Process
In past decades a lot of progress has been made towards understanding the
main s-process component that takes place in thermally pulsing Asymptotic Giant
Branch (AGB) stars. During this process about half of the heavy elements,
mainly between 90<=A<=209 are synthesized. Improvements were made in stellar
modeling as well as in measuring relevant nuclear data for a better description
of the main s process. The weak s process, which contributes to the production
of lighter nuclei in the mass range 56<=A<=90 operates in massive stars
(M>=8Msolar) and is much less understood. A better characterization of the weak
s component would help disentangle the various contributions to element
production in this region. For this purpose, a series of measurements of
neutron-capture cross sections have been performed on medium-mass nuclei at the
3.7-MV Van de Graaff accelerator at FZK using the activation method. Also,
neutron captures on abundant light elements with A<56 play an important role
for s-process nucleosynthesis, since they act as neutron poisons and affect the
stellar neutron balance. New results are presented for the (n,g) cross sections
of 41K and 45Sc, and revisions are reported for a number of cross sections
based on improved spectroscopic information
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
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
Structure of 10N in 9C+p resonance scattering
The structure of exotic nucleus 10N was studied using 9C+p resonance
scattering. Two L=0 resonances were found to be the lowest states in 10N. The
ground state of 10N is unbound with respect to proton decay by 2.2(2) or 1.9(2)
MeV depending on the 2- or 1- spin-parity assignment, and the first excited
state is unbound by 2.8(2) MeV.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, 1 table, submitted to Phys. Lett.
Nuclear structure beyond the neutron drip line: the lowest energy states in He via their T=5/2 isobaric analogs in Li
The level structure of the very neutron rich and unbound He nucleus has
been the subject of significant experimental and theoretical study. Many recent
works have claimed that the two lowest energy He states exist with spins
and and widths on the order of hundreds of keV.
These findings cannot be reconciled with our contemporary understanding of
nuclear structure. The present work is the first high-resolution study with low
statistical uncertainty of the relevant excitation energy range in the
He system, performed via a search for the T=5/2 isobaric analog states
in Li populated through He+p elastic scattering. The present data show
no indication of any narrow structures. Instead, we find evidence for a broad
state in He located approximately 3 MeV above the neutron
decay threshold
The C12(α,γ)O16 reaction and its implications for stellar helium burning
The creation of carbon and oxygen in our Universe is one of the forefront questions in nuclear astrophysics. The determination of the abundance of these elements is key to our understanding of both the formation of life on Earth and to the life cycles of stars. While nearly all models of different nucleosynthesis environments are affected by the production of carbon and oxygen, a key ingredient, the precise determination of the reaction rate of C12(α, 3)O16, has long remained elusive. This is owed to the reaction's inaccessibility, both experimentally and theoretically. Nuclear theory has struggled to calculate this reaction rate because the cross section is produced through different underlying nuclear mechanisms. Isospin selection rules suppress the E1 component of the ground state cross section, creating a unique situation where the E1 and E2 contributions are of nearly equal amplitudes. Experimentally there have also been great challenges. Measurements have been pushed to the limits of state-of-the-art techniques, often developed for just these measurements. The data have been plagued by uncharacterized uncertainties, often the result of the novel measurement techniques that have made the different results challenging to reconcile. However, the situation has markedly improved in recent years, and the desired level of uncertainty ‰10% may be in sight. In this review the current understanding of this critical reaction is summarized. The emphasis is placed primarily on the experimental work and interpretation of the reaction data, but discussions of the theory and astrophysics are also pursued. The main goal is to summarize and clarify the current understanding of the reaction and then point the way forward to an improved determination of the reaction rate
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