New measurement of neutron capture resonances in Bi

Domingo-Pardo, C.*; Abbondanno, U.*; Aerts, G.*; lvarez, H.*; Alvarez-Velarde, F.*; Andriamonje, S.*; Andrzejewski, J.*; Assimakopoulos, P.*; Audouin, L.*; Badurek, G.*; Baumann, P.*; Bev, F.*; Berthoumieux, E.*; Calvio, F.*; Cano-Ott, D.*; Capote, R.*; Carrillo de Albornoz, A.*; Cennini, P.*; Chepel, V.*; Chiaveri, E.*; Colonna, N.*; Cortes, G.*; Couture, A.*; Cox, J.*; Dahlfors, M.*; David, S.*; Dillman, I.*; Dolfini, R.*; Dridi, W.*; Durn, I.*; Eleftheriadis, C.*; Embid-Segura, M.*; Ferrant, L.*; Ferrari, A.*; Ferreira-Marques, R.*; Fitzpatrick, L.*; Frais-Koelbl, H.*; Fujii, Kaori*; Furman, W.*; Gallino, R.*; Goncalves, I.*; Gonzalez-Romero, E.*; Goverdovski, A.*; Gramegna, F.*; Griesmayer, E.*; Guerrero, C.*; Gunsing, F.*; Haas, B.*; Haight, R.*; Heil, M.*; Herrera-Martinez, A.*; Igashira, Masayuki*; Isaev, S.*; Jericha, E.*; Kadi, Y.*; Kppeler, F.*; Karamanis, D.*; Karadimos, D.*; Kerveno, M.*; Ketlerov, V.*; Koehler, P.*; Konovalov, V.*; Kossionides, E.*; Krtika, M.*; Lamboudis, C.*; Leeb, H.*; Lindote, A.*; Lopes, I.*; Lozano, M.*; Lukic, S.*; Marganiec, J.*; Marques, L.*; Marrone, S.*; Mastinu, P.*; Mengoni, A.*; Milazzo, P. M.*; Moreau, C.*; Mosconi, M.*; Neves, F.*; Oberhummer, H.*; Oshima, Masumi; O'Brien, S.*; Pancin, J.*; Papachristodoulou, C.*; Papadopoulos, C.*; Paradela, C.*; Patronis, N.*; Pavlik, A.*; Pavlopoulos, P.*; Perrot, L.*; Plag, R.*; Plompen, A.*; Plukis, A.*; Poch, A.*; Pretel, C.*; Quesada, J.*; Rauscher, T.*; Reifarth, R.*; Rosetti, M.*; Rubbia, C.*; Rudolf, G.*; Rullhusen, P.*; Salgado, J.*; Sarchiapone, L.*; Savvidis, I.*; Stephan, C.*; Tagliente, G.*; Tain, J. L.*; Tassan-Got, L.*; Tavora, L.*; Terlizzi, R.*; Vannini, G.*; Vaz, P.*; Ventura, A.*; Villamarin, D.*; Vincente, M. C.*; Vlachoudis, V.*; Vlastou, R.*; Voss, F.*; Walter, S.*; Wendler, H.*; Wiescher, M.*; Wisshak, K.*

The neutron capture cross section of Bi has been measured at the CERN n_TOF facility by employing the pulse-height-weighting technique. Improvements over previous measurements are mainly because of an optimized detection system, which led to a practically negligible neutron sensitivity. Because Bi is the last stable isotope in the reaction path of the stellar s-process, the Maxwellian averaged capture cross section is important for the recycling of the reaction flow by alpha decays. In the relevant stellar range of thermal energies between = 5 and 8 keV our new capture rate is about 16% higher than the presently accepted value used for nucleosynthesis calculations. The present cross section measurement is also of relevance for the design of accelerator driven systems based on a liquid metal Pb/Bi spallation target.