Measurement of the 91Zr(p,γ)92m Nb cross section motivated by type Ia supernova nucleosynthesis

The synthesis of heavy, proton rich isotopes is a poorly understood astrophysical process. Thermonuclear (type Ia) supernova explosions are among the suggested sites and the abundance of some isotopes present in the early Solar System may be used to test the models. Nb-92 is such an isotope and one of the reactions playing a role in its synthesis is Zr-91(p,gamma)Nb-92. As no experimental cross sections were available for this reaction so far, nucleosynthesis models had to solely rely on theoretical calculations. In the present work the cross section of Zr-91(p,gamma)Nb-92m has been measured at astrophysical energies by activation. The results excellently confirm the predictions of cross sections and reaction rates for Zr-91(p,gamma)Nb-92, as used in astrophysical simulations.

Automated summary

The synthesis of heavy, proton-rich isotopes in astrophysical processes, such as type Ia supernova explosions, remains poorly understood. One such isotope, Nb-92, is synthesized through reactions like Zr-91(p, gamma)Nb-92. Experimental cross sections were not available for this reaction, so nucleosynthesis models had to rely solely on theoretical calculations. This study successfully measured the cross section of Zr-91(p, gamma)Nb-92m at astrophysical energies, confirming predictions used in astrophysical simulations.