Excitation of the 180mTa isomer in (gamma,n) reactions and its astrophysical relevance
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.
Tonchev
AP
Accelerator Center, Physics Department, Idaho State University, Pocatello 83209, USA. tonchev@physics.isu.edu
Harmon
JF