Maxwellian-averaged cross section of 181Ta (n,γ) reaction and its astrophysical implications

Abstract

The neutron-capture and Maxwellian-averaged cross sections of 181Ta(n,γ) reaction have been computed making use of the TALYS code. Two main inputs of the TALYS calculation, nuclear level density (NLD) and radiative strength function (RSF), are calculated within a recent microscopic model that takes into account the exact thermal pairing plus independent-particle model and collective excitations within the phonon-damping model. A good agreement between the calculated and experimental NLD and RSF data of 182Ta was found, confirming the goodness of the microscopic nuclear model used. As the result, the deduced neutron-capture and Maxwellian-averaged cross sections of 181Ta(n,γ) reaction also agree reasonably well with the experimental and recommended data across the measured energy range. The impact of the predicted cross sections on the tantalum production in the slow neutron-capture process (s-process) is then studied by employing a recent version of FRUITY stellar evolutionary models in which the effect of magnetic fields is newly implemented. By calculating the isotopic composition ratios within the FUNS code, we obtain a slight depletion of tantalum as compared to the recommended data. The variation between the calculated and reference tungsten isotopic ratios in presolar stardust silicon carbide (SiC) grains is found to be negligible, as expected. However, the capability of our theoretical model to reproduce experimental nuclear data will allow us to investigate in detail the s-process branching points at 181W and 185W, for which experimental data from direct measurements are still unavailable.