Erlangen 2026 – scientific programme
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HK: Fachverband Physik der Hadronen und Kerne
HK 16: Nuclear Astrophysics II
HK 16.1: Group Report
Tuesday, March 17, 2026, 16:15–16:45, PHIL A 602
Constraining the s-Process Path Using Indirect Methods at MESA and FAIR — •Tanja Heftrich1, Jan Butz1, Pierre Capel2, Leon Fähnrich1, Alina Gottschalk1, Carolin Grün1, Michael Heil3, Felix Panholzer1, René Reifarth4, Concettina Sfienti2, Monica Alejandra Sanjinez Ortiz2, and Davud Sokolovic1 — 1Goethe University Frankfurt — 2Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz — 3GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Scherionenforschung — 4Los Alamos National Laboratory
The slow neutron-capture process (s-process) is responsible for the synthesis of about half of the elements heavier than iron in stellar environments. Its modeling relies critically on precise neutron-capture cross sections, in particular for unstable nuclei that are not directly accessible to conventional measurements.
In this contribution, we present indirect approaches to determine (n,γ) reaction rates relevant for the s-process. In Mainz at the future MESA accelerator, neutron-capture cross sections are constrained via the inverse reaction using electron-induced processes, using (e,e′n) reaction to access the nuclear response to virtual photons. Complementarily, experiments at FAIR employ Coulomb breakup measurements of the type (γ*,n) at the R3B setup, where electromagnetic excitation in the Coulomb field of a heavy target provides access to the radiative capture process by detailed balance.
Keywords: s-process; measurement of (n,$\gamma$) reactions; R3B FAIR; MAGIX MESA; indirect methods