Neutron-capture reactions on very neutron-rich nuclei are essential for heavy-element nucleosynthesis through the rapid neutron-capture process, now shown to take place in neutron-star merger events. For these exotic nuclei, radiative neutron capture is sensitive to their $\gamma$-emission probability at low $\gamma$ energies.
In this talk, we present measurements of the $\gamma$-decay...
Accurate predictive models of neutron capture cross sections are key to understanding cosmogenic nucleosynthesis, fundamental nuclear physics, and nuclear stockpile security. For several decades, the "Oslo Method" has been used to determine gamma-ray strength functions and nuclear level densities, important input parameters to such models. This method has traditionally been limited to the...
A project to increase the γ-ray detection efficiency of the iThemba LABS setup was recently funded by the South African National Research Foundation (NRF). This project will result in the acquisition and installation of the γ-ray detector array ALBA (African LaBr Array), composed of 23 large volume LaBr3:Ce. The array could be used as a stand-alone gamma-ray spectrometer as well as coupled to...
Photonuclear reaction cross sections are well described by the Brink-Axel hypothesis and are widely used to describe the E1 "photon strength" above the neutron separation energy. The Oslo Method has been developed to unfold total "photon strength" below the neutron separation energy. Although both methods are commonly assumed to derive "photon strengths", they actually derive the product of...
John L. Wood,
School of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Ga 30332-0430, USA
Particle-core coupling is an essential concept in the organization of nuclear data.
All odd and odd-odd nuclei demand such a concept, and broken-pair states in all nuclei require it. Models such as the particle-vibrator (weak-coupling) model and the particle-rotor (strong-coupling) model have been...
