The 92Zr(n,γ) reaction and its implications for stellar nucleosynthesis

Abstract

Because the relatively small neutron capture cross sections of the zirconium isotopes are difficult to measure, the results of previous measurements are often not adequate for a number of problems in astrophysics and nuclear technology. Therefore, the 92Zr(n,γ) cross section has been remeasured at the CERN n-TOF facility, providing a set of improved parameters for 44 resonances in the neutron energy range up to 40 keV. With this information the cross-section uncertainties in the keV region could be reduced to 5% as required for s-process nucleosynthesis studies and technological applications.