The advent of high-resolution spectrographs and detailed stellar atmosphere modelling has strengthened the need for accurate molecular data. Carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars spectra are interesting objects with which to study transitions from the CH molecule. We combine programs for spectral analysis of molecules and stellar-radiative transfer codes to build an extensive CH linelist, including predissociation broadening as well as newly identified levels. We show examples of strong predissociation CH lines in CEMP stars, and we stress the important role played by the CH features in the Bond-Neff feature depressing the spectra of barium stars by as much as 0.2 mag in the λ = 3000−5500 Å range. Because of the extreme thermodynamic conditions prevailing in stellar atmospheres (compared to the laboratory), molecular transitions with high energy levels can be observed. Stellar spectra can thus be used to constrain and improve molecular data.

Large-scale calculations of the E1 strength are performed within the random phase approximation (RPA) based on the relativistic point-coupling mean field approach in order to derive the radiative neutron capture cross sections for all nuclei of astrophysical interest. While the coupling to the singleparticle continuum is taken into account in an explicit and self-consistent way, additional corrections like the coupling to complex configurations and the temperature and deformation effects are included in a phenomenological way to account for a complete description of the nuclear dynamical problem. It is shown that the resulting E1-strength function based on the PCF1 force is in close agreement with photoabsorption data as well as the available experimental E1 strength data at low energies. For neutron-rich nuclei, as well as light neutron-deficient nuclei, a low-lying so-called pygmy resonance is found systematically in the 5-10 MeV region. The corresponding strength can reach 10% of the giant dipole strength in the neutron-rich region and about 5% in the neutron-deficient region, and is found to be reduced in the vicinity of the shell closures. Finally, the neutron capture reaction rates of neutron-rich nuclei is found to be about 2-5 times larger than those predicted on the basis of the nonrelativistic RPA calculation and about a factor 50 larger than obtained with traditional Lorentzian-type approaches.

We have calculated the strength distributions of the dipole response in spherical nuclei, ranging all over the periodic table. The calculations were performed within two microscopic models: the discretized quasiparticle random phase approximation (QRPA) and the quasiparticle continuum RPA, which takes into account the coupling of the single-particle continuum in an exact way. Pairing correlations are treated with the BCS model. In the calculations, two density functionals were used, namely the functional PC-F1 and the functional DD-PC1. Both are based on relativistic point coupling Lagrangians. It is explicitly shown that this model is capable of reproducing the giant as well as the pygmy dipole resonance for open-shell nuclei in a high level of quantitative agreement with the available experimental observations.

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Using quasimonochromatic laser-Compton scattering γ rays, total photoneutron cross sections were measured for 206, 207, 208 Pb near neutron threshold with a high-efficiency 4π neutron detector. Partial E1 and M1 photoneutron cross sections along with total cross sections were determined for 207, 208 Pb at four energies near threshold by measuring anisotropies in photoneutron emission with linearly polarized γ rays. The E1 strength dominates over the M1 strength in the neutron channel where E1 photoneutron cross sections show extra strength of the pygmy dipole resonance in 207, 208 Pb near the neutron threshold corresponding to 0.32%-0.42% of the Thomas-Reiche-Kuhn sum rule. Several μ 2 N units of B(M1) ↑ strength were observed in 207, 208 Pb just above neutron threshold, which correspond to an M1 cross section less than 10% of the total photoneutron cross section.