title: Excitation of the 180mTa isomer in (gamma,n) reactions and its astrophysical relevance
abstract: The yield has been determined for the excitation of 180gTa (Jpi = 1+) from the 181Ta(gamma,n) reaction by measurements of gamma rays emitted following the electron capture and beta-decays of the 8.15 h ground state. The probability sigmam/(sigmam + sigmag) for the production of the 180mTa isomer (Jpi = 9-) after gamma absorption in the energy region from 8 to 13 MeV was deduced. The role of the initial and final spins on the reaction yield, along with the relevance for nucleosynthesis of 180mTa, is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Accelerator Center, Physics Department, Idaho State University, Pocatello 83209, USA. tonchev@physics.isu.edu
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Tonchev
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Harmon