Experimentally constrained 165,166Ho(n,γ) rates and implications for the s process
Abstract
The γ-ray strength function and the nuclear level density of 167Ho have been extracted using the Oslo method from a 164Dy(α,pγ)167Ho experiment carried out at the Oslo Cyclotron Laboratory. The level density displays a shape that is compatible with %can be approximated with the constant temperature model in the quasicontinuum, while the strength function shows structures indicating the presence of both a scissors and a pygmy dipole resonance. Using our present results as well as data from a previous 163Dy(α,pγ)166Ho experiment, the 165Ho(n,γ) and 166Ho(n,γ) MACS uncertainties have been constrained. The possible influence of the low-lying, long-lived 6~keV isomer 166Ho in the s process is investigated in the context of a 2~M, [Fe/H]=-0.5 AGB star. We show that the newly obtained 165Ho(n,γ) MACS affects the final 165Ho abundance, while the 166Ho(n,γ) MACS only impacts the enrichment of 166,167Er to a limited degree due to the relatively rapid β decay of the thermalized 166Ho at typical s-process temperatures.
Turn this paper into a lesson
ArcXiv compiles a structured reading guide from this paper's metadata: plain-English importance, contributions, prerequisite concepts, which sections to read first, flashcards, and a quiz. Grounded in the abstract, never invented.