First results of total and partial cross-section measurements of the 107Ag(p,γ)108Cd reaction

Abstract

The γ process is assumed to play an important role in the nucleosynthesis of the majority of the p nuclei. Since the network of the γ process includes so many different reactions and - mainly unstable - nuclei, cross-section values are predominantly calculated in the scope of the Hauser-Feshbach statistical model. The values heavily depend on the nuclear-physics input parameters. The results of total and partial cross-section measurements are used to improve the accuracy of the theoretical calculations. In order to extend the experimental database, the 107Ag(p,γ)108Cd reaction was studied via the in-beam method at the high-efficiency HPGe γ-ray spectrometer HORUS at the University of Cologne. Proton beams with energies between 3.5 MeV and 5.0 MeV were provided by the 10 MV FN-Tandem accelerator leading to the determination of four new total cross-section values. After slight adjustments of the nuclear level density and γ-ray strength function an excellent agreement between theoretical calculations and experimentally deduced values for both total and partial cross sections has been obtained.