Measurement of the 154Gd(n,γ) cross section and its astrophysical implications

Mazzone A.; Cristallo S.; Aberle O.; Alaerts G.; Alcayne V.; Amaducci S.; Andrzejewski J.; Audouin L.; Babiano-Suarez V.; Bacak M.; Barbagallo M.; Becares V.; Becvar F.; Bellia G.; Berthoumieux E.; Billowes J.; Bosnar D.; Brown A. S.; Busso M.; Caamano M.; Caballero L.; Calviani M.; Calvino F.; Cano-Ott D.; Casanovas A.; Castelluccio D. M.; Cerutti F.; Chen Y. H.; Chiaveri E.; Clai G.; Colonna N.; Cortes G. P.; Cortes-Giraldo M. A.; Cosentino L.; Damone L. A.; Diakaki M.; Dietz M.; Domingo-Pardo C.; Dressler R.; Dupont E.; Duran I.; Eleme Z.; Fernandez-Domingez B.; Ferrari A.; Ferro-Goncalves I.; Finocchiaro P.; Furman V.; Garg R.; Gawlik A.; Gilardoni S.; Glodariu T.; Gobel K.; Gonzalez-Romero E.; Guerrero C.; Gunsing F.; Heinitz S.; Heyse J.; Jenkins D. G.; Jericha E.; Kadi Y.; Kappeler F.; Kimura A.; Kivel N.; Kokkoris M.; Kopatch Y.; Kopecky S.; Krticka M.; Kurtulgil D.; Ladarescu I.; Lederer-Woods C.; Lerendegui-Marco J.; Lo Meo S.; Lonsdale S. -J.; Macina D.; Manna A.; Martinez T.; Masi A.; Massimi C.; Mastinu P. F.; Mastromarco M.; Matteucci F.; Maugeri E.; Mendoza E.; Mengoni A.; Michalopoulou V.; Milazzo P. M.; Mingrone F.; Mucciola R.; Musumarra A.; Negret A.; Nolte R.; Ogallar F.; Oprea A.; Patronis N.; Pavlik A.; Perkowski J.; Piersanti L.; Porras I.; Praena J.; Quesada J. M.; Radeck D.; Ramos Doval D.; Reifarth R.; Rochman D.; Rubbia C.; Sabate-Gilarte M.; Saxena A.; Schillebeeckx P.; Schumann D.; Smith A. G.; Sosnin N.; Stamatopoulos A.; Tagliente G.; Tain J. L.; Talip Z.; Tarifeno-Saldivia A. E.; Tassan-Got L.; Torres-Sanchez P.; Tsinganis A.; Ulrich J.; Urlass S.; Valenta S.; Vannini G.; Variale V.; Vaz P.; Ventura A.; Vescovi D.; Vlachoudis V.; Vlastou R.; Wallner A.; Woods P. J.; Wynants R.; Wright T. J.; Zugec P.

doi:10.1016/j.physletb.2020.135405

The neutron capture cross section of 154Gd was measured from 1 eV to 300 keV in the experimental area located 185 m from the CERN n_TOF neutron spallation source, using a metallic sample of gadolinium, enriched to 67% in 154Gd. The capture measurement, performed with four C6D6 scintillation detectors, has been complemented by a transmission measurement performed at the GELINA time-of-flight facility (JRC-Geel), thus minimising the uncertainty related to sample composition. An accurate Maxwellian averaged capture cross section (MACS) was deduced over the temperature range of interest for s process nucleosynthesis modelling. We report a value of 880(50) mb for the MACS at kT=30 keV, significantly lower compared to values available in literature. The new adopted 154Gd(n,γ) cross section reduces the discrepancy between observed and calculated solar s-only isotopic abundances predicted by s-process nucleosynthesis models.