63Ni(n,γ) cross sections measured with DANCE

The neutron capture cross section of the s-process branch nucleus Ni-63 affects the abundances of other nuclei in its region, especially (CU)-C-63 and Zn-64. In order to determine the energy-dependent neutron capture cross section in the astrophysical energy region, an experiment at the Los Alamos National Laboratory has been performed using the calorimetric 4 pi BaF2 array DANCE. The (n,gamma) cross section of Ni-63 has been determined relative to the well-known Au-197 standard with uncertainties below 15%. Various Ni-63 resonances have been identified based on the Q value. Furthermore, the s-process sensitivity of the new values was analyzed with the new network calculation tool NETZ.