First experimental evidence of the rp-process nucleus $^{96}$Cd

The rapid proton capture process has been proposed as the mechanism that powers the observed type I X-ray bursts in the universe. The time scale for the rp-process is governed by the beta-decay half-lives of several even-even N = Z waiting point nuclei, in particular, $^{96}$Cd is the only one with an unknown beta decay half-life between $^{56}$Ni and $^{100}$Sn. The recently built Radio Frequency Fragment Separator (RFFS) at the NSCL filters out unwanted particles in rare proton rich beams according to their velocities, thus improving the beam purity by several orders of magnitude. The RFFS was successfully commissioned in May 2007 and used to identify $^{96}$Cd nuclei for the first time. Preliminary results on the production rate of $^{96}$Cd will be presented.