arXiv · 2608.18775
Improved $^{94}$Mo neutron resonance parameters from neutron capture and transmission measurements at n_TOF and GELINA
Abstract
We report high-resolution measurements of the $^{94}\mathrm{Mo}(\mathrm{n},\gamma)^{95}\mathrm{Mo}$ cross section in the neutron energy range from a few eV up to about 250 keV, performed at the n_TOF facility (CERN), and of the $^{94}\mathrm{Mo}(\mathrm{n},\mathrm{tot})$ cross section up to 32 keV, measured at GELINA (JRC Geel). A combined R-matrix analysis of capture and transmission data yields significantly improved neutron-resonance parameters for $^{94}$Mo. A total of 186 resonances were observed in this analysis of which 127 reported here for the first time. The resulting Maxwellian-averaged cross section at stellar temperatures relevant to the slow neutron-capture process (s-process) is approximately 25% lower than previous evaluations and literature values. To assess the astrophysical impact of the revised cross section, we performed s-process nucleosynthesis calculations for low-mass asymptotic giant branch stars. Despite the substantial reduction in the $^{94}\mathrm{Mo}(\mathrm{n},\gamma)^{95}\mathrm{Mo}$ rate, the final yields vary by only 3-4%. This demonstrates that the isotopic budget of $^{94}$Mo in AGB stars is primarily governed by the branching flow at $^{94}\mathrm{Nb}$ rather than by the neutron-capture destruction on $^{94}$Mo itself. The new cross section thus helps disentangle nuclear cross-section uncertainties from branching-flow effects in the s-process production of $^{94}$Mo.
Explore related subjects
Keep this discovery
R. Mucciola, S. Cristallo, S. Kopecky, N. Liu, C. Massimi, A. Mengoni, A. Manna, C. Paradela, P. Schillebeeckx, G. Sibbens, D. Vescovi, O. Aberle, V. Alcayne, S. Altieri, S. Amaducci, J. Andrzejewski, V. Babiano-Suarez, M. Bacak, J. Balibrea-Correa, C. Beltrami, S. Bennett, A. P. Bernardes, E. Berthoumieux, R. Beyer, M. Boromiza, D. Bosnar, M. Caamano, F. Calvino, M. Calviani, D. Cano-Ott, A. Casanovas, D. M. Castelluccio, F. Cerutti, G. Cescutti, S. Chasapoglou, E. Chiaveri, P. Colombetti, N. Colonna, P. Console Camprini, G. Cortes, M. A. Cortes-Giraldo, L. Cosentino, S. F. Dellmann, M. Diakaki, M. Di Castro, M. Dietz, S. Di Maria, C. Domingo-Pardo, R. Dressler, E. Dupont, I. Duran, Z. Eleme, S. Fargier, B. Fernandez, B. Fernandez-Dominguez, P. Finocchiaro, S. Fiore, V. Furman, F. Garcia-Infantes, A. Gawlik-Ramiega, G. Gervino, S. Gilardoni, E. Gonzalez-Romero, S. Goula, C. Guerrero, F. Gunsing, C. Gustavino, J. Heyse, W. Hillman, D. G. Jenkins, E. Jericha, A. Junghans, Y. Kadi, K. Kaperoni, G. Kaur, A. Kimura, I. Knapova, M. Kokkoris, Y. Kopatch, M. Krticka, N. Kyritsis, I. Ladarescu, S. Lanzi, C. Lederer-Woods, J. Lerendegui-Marco, G. Lerner, T. Martinez, A. Masi, P. Mastinu, M. Mastromarco, E. A. Maugeri, A. Mazzone, E. Mendoza, V. Michalopoulou, P. M. Milazzo, F. Murtas, E. Musacchio Gonzalez, A. Musumarra, A. Negret, N. Patronis. 2026-08-19. Improved $^{94}$Mo neutron resonance parameters from neutron capture and transmission measurements at n_TOF and GELINA. https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.18775
Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.