Stellar <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mml:mi>s</mml:mi></mml:math>-process neutron capture cross sections on <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mml:mmultiscripts><mml:mi>Kr</mml:mi><mml:mprescripts/><mml:none/><mml:mrow><mml:mn>78</mml:mn><mml:mo>,</mml:mo><mml:mn>80</mml:mn><mml:mo>,</mml:mo><mml:mn>84</mml:mn><mml:mo>,</mml:mo><mml:mn>86</mml:mn></mml:mrow></mml:mmultiscripts></mml:math> determined via activation, atom trap trace analysis, and decay counting
M. Tessler, Jake Zappala, S. Cristallo, Lorenzo Roberti, M. Paul, S. Halfon, T. Heftrich, Wei Jiang, D. Kijel, A. Kreisel, Marco Limongi, Zheng‐Tian Lu, P. Müller, Roland Purtschert, R. Reifarth, A. Shor, Daniel Veltum, D. Vescovi, Mario Weigand, L. Weissman
Abstract
Understanding stellar $s$-process nucleosynthesis requires knowledge of neutron capture cross sections. In this work krypton gas is activated by an intense neutron beam at stellar energies. Applying for the first time atom-trap trace analysis (ATTA), long-lived reaction products are individually trapped and counted via fluorescence using cycling atomic transitions excited by precisely tuned lasers. Absolute isotope production is determined by comparison with reference samples. Improved capture cross sections are determined for four krypton isotopes, and the effect of the new values on relative $s$-process abundances in medium- and high-mass stars is investigated.