PT Journal
AU Guerrero, C
   Tessler, M
   Paul, M
   Lerendegui-Marco, J
   Heinitz, S
   Maugeri, EA
   Domingo-Pardo, C
   Dressler, R
   Halfon, S
   Kivel, N
   Koster, U
   Palchan-Hazan, T
   Quesada, JM
   Schumann, D
   Weissman, L
TI The s-process in the Nd-Pm-Sm region: Neutron activation of Pm-147
SO Physics Letters B
JI Phys. Lett. B
PY 2019
BP 134809
EP 6pp
VL 797
DI 10.1016/j.physletb.2019.134809
LA English
DE Nucleosynthesis; Neutron capture; Nuclear reactions; s-process; MACS; Neutron activation
AB The Nd-Pm-Sm branching is of interest for the study of the s-process, related to the production of heavy elements in stars. As Sm-148 and Sm-150 are s-only isotopes, the understanding of the branching allows constraining the s-process neutron density. In this context the key physics input needed is the cross section of the three unstable nuclides in the region: Nd-147 (10.98 d half-life), Pm-147 (2.62 yr) and Pm-148 (5.37 d). This paper reports on the activation measurement of Pm-147, the longest-lived of the three nuclides. The cross section measurement has been carried out by activation at the SARAF LiLiT facility using a 56(2) μg target. Compared to the single previous measurement of Pm-147, the measurement presented herein benefits from a target 2000 times more massive. The resulting Maxwellian Averaged Cross Section (MACS) to the ground and metastable states in Pm-148 are 469(50) mb and 357(27) mb. These values are 41% higher (to the ground state) and 15% lower (to the metastable state) than the values reported so far, leading however to a total cross section of 826(107) mb consistent within uncertainties with the previous result and hence leaving unchanged the previous calculation of the s-process neutron density.
ER