Measurements to Inform Neutron-Capture in Astrophysics

The 2023 NSAC Long Range Plan for Nuclear Science posed the question, "what are the nuclear processes that drive the birth, life, and death of stars?" as one of the major open science questions in the present era. Neutron-capture reactions play a pivotal role in the synthesis of elements heavier than iron, and our understanding of heavy element nucleosynthesis relies on the interplay between experimental measurements, theoretical predictions, computational modeling, and observational data. Accurate measurements of neutron-capture cross sections and reaction rates provide crucial input for astrophysical models of neutron-capture processes such as the slow (s), intermediate (i), and rapid (r) processes. These measurements, however, prove challenging to perform directly due to the short-lived nature of the nuclei involved and the lack of a neutron target at present. Over the last decade, several indirect experimental techniques have been developed to provide constraints of neutron-capture reactions both near and far from stability. Detailed data on key reaction rates informs nucleosynthesis network calculations, enables more realistic stellar modelling, and deepens our understanding of the birth, life, and death of stars. In this presentation, I will discuss the current state of experimental neutron-capture techniques and highlight recent nuclear astrophysics results.