Photodisintegration studies on p-nuclei: The case of Mo and Sm isotopes

TL;DR

This study experimentally measures photodisintegration rates of p-nuclei 92Mo and 144Sm relevant to supernova nucleosynthesis, comparing results with theoretical models to improve understanding of heavy element formation.

Contribution

First experimental photodisintegration measurements of 92Mo and 144Sm using bremsstrahlung at ELBE, providing data to validate and refine theoretical reaction rate models.

Findings

Activation yields compared with Hauser-Feshbach calculations

First experimental data for 144Sm(gamma,n) reactions

Enhanced understanding of p-nuclei production in supernovae

Abstract

In explosive stellar environments like supernovae, the temperatures are high enough for the production of heavy neutron-deficient nuclei, the socalled p-nuclei. Up to now, the knowledge of the reaction rates of p-nuclei is based on theoretical parameterizations using statistical model calculations. At the bremsstrahlung facility of the superconducting electron accelerator ELBE of FZ Dresden-Rossendorf, we aim to measure the photodisintegration rates of heavy nuclei experimentally. Photoactivation measurements on the astrophysically relevant p-nuclei 92Mo and 144Sm have been performed with bremsstrahlung end-point energies from 10.0 to 16.5 MeV. First experiments on the short-lived decays following the reaction 144Sm(gamma,n) are carried out using a pneumatic delivery system for rapid transport of activated samples. The activation yields are compared with calculations using cross sections from recent Hauser-Feshbach models.