The "Karlsruhe Astrophysical Database of Nucleosynthesis in Stars" (KADoNiS) project is an online database for experimental cross sections relevant to the s process and p process. It is available under http://nuclear-astrophysics.fzk.de/kadonis and consists of two parts. Part 1 is an updated sequel to the previous Bao et al. compilations from 1987 and 2000 for (n,γ) cross sections relevant to the big bang and s-process nucleosynthesis. The second part will be an experimental p-process database, which is expected to be launched in winter 2005/06. The KADoNiS project started in April 2005, and a first partial update is online since August 2005. In this paper we present a short overview of the first update of the s-process database, as well as an overview of the status of stellar (n,γ) cross sections of all 32 p isotopes.

The E1 strength distribution in 68Ni has been investigated using Coulomb excitation in inverse kinematics at the R3B-LAND setup and by measuring the invariant mass in the one- and two-neutron decay channels. The giant dipole resonance and a low-lying peak (pygmy dipole resonance) have been observed at 17.1(2) and 9.55(17) MeV, respectively. The measured dipole polarizability is compared to relativistic random phase approximation calculations yielding a neutron-skin thickness of 0.17(2) fm. A method and analysis applicable to neutron-rich nuclei has been developed, allowing for a precise determination of neutron skins in nuclei as a function of neutron excess.

No abstract

No abstract

The neutron capture cross section of 14 C is of relevance for several nucleosynthesis scenarios such as inhomogeneous Big Bang models, neutron induced CNO cycles, and neutrino driven wind models for the r process. The 14 C(n, γ ) reaction is also important for the validation of the Coulomb dissociation method, where the (n, γ ) cross section can be indirectly obtained via the time-reversed process. So far, the example of 14 C is the only case with neutrons where both, direct measurement and indirect Coulomb dissociation, have been applied. Unfortunately, the interpretation is obscured by discrepancies between several experiments and theory. Therefore, we report on new direct measurements of the 14 C(n, γ ) reaction with neutron energies ranging from 20 to 800 keV.

Modern models of s-process nucleosynthesis in stars require stellar reaction rates of high precision. Most neutroncapture cross-sections in the s-process have been measured, and for an increasing number of reactions the required precision is achieved. This does not necessarily mean, however, that the stellar rates are constrained equally well, because only the capture of the ground state of a target is measured in the laboratory. Captures of excited states can contribute considerably to stellar rates that are already at typical s-process temperatures. We show that the ground-state contribution X to a stellar rate is the relevant measure to identify reactions that are or could be well constrained by experiments and apply it to (n,γ ) reactions in the s-process. We further show that the maximum possible reduction in uncertainty of a rate via determination of the ground-state cross-section is given directly by X. An error analysis of X is presented, and it is found that X is a robust measure with mostly small uncertainties.

The 7 Li(p,n) reaction in combination with a 3.7 MV Van de Graaff accelerator was routinely used at FZK to perform activation as well as time-of-flight measurements with neutrons in the keV-region. Planned new setups with much higher proton currents like SARAF and FRANZ and the availability of liquid-lithium target technology will trigger a renaissance of this method. A detailed understanding of the neutron spectrum is not only important during the planning phase of an experiment, but also during for the analysis of activation experiments. Therefore, the Monte-Carlo based program PINO (Protons In Neutrons Out) was developed, which allows the simulation of neutron spectra considering the geometry of the setup and the proton-energy distribution.

No abstract