0000000000572884

AUTHOR

J. Wheeler

Low-lying level structure of Cu56 and its implications for the rp process

The low-lying energy levels of proton-rich Cu56 have been extracted using in-beam γ-ray spectroscopy with the state-of-the-art γ-ray tracking array GRETINA in conjunction with the S800 spectrograph at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory at Michigan State University. Excited states in Cu56 serve as resonances in the Ni55(p,γ)Cu56 reaction, which is a part of the rp process in type-I x-ray bursts. To resolve existing ambiguities in the reaction Q value, a more localized isobaric multiplet mass equation (IMME) fit is used, resulting in Q=639±82 keV. We derive the first experimentally constrained thermonuclear reaction rate for Ni55(p,γ)Cu56. We find that, with this new rate, the …

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SARS-CoV-2 vaccination modelling for safe surgery to save lives: data from an international prospective cohort study

Abstract Background Preoperative SARS-CoV-2 vaccination could support safer elective surgery. Vaccine numbers are limited so this study aimed to inform their prioritization by modelling. Methods The primary outcome was the number needed to vaccinate (NNV) to prevent one COVID-19-related death in 1 year. NNVs were based on postoperative SARS-CoV-2 rates and mortality in an international cohort study (surgical patients), and community SARS-CoV-2 incidence and case fatality data (general population). NNV estimates were stratified by age (18–49, 50–69, 70 or more years) and type of surgery. Best- and worst-case scenarios were used to describe uncertainty. Results NNVs were more favourable in su…

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Determining therp-Process Flow throughNi56: Resonances inCu57(p,γ)Zn58Identified with GRETINA

An approach is presented to experimentally constrain previously unreachable (p, γ) reaction rates on nuclei far from stability in the astrophysical rp process. Energies of all critical resonances in the (57)Cu(p,γ)(58)Zn reaction are deduced by populating states in (58)Zn with a (d, n) reaction in inverse kinematics at 75 MeV/u, and detecting γ-ray-recoil coincidences with the state-of-the-art γ-ray tracking array GRETINA and the S800 spectrograph at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory. The results reduce the uncertainty in the (57)Cu(p,γ) reaction rate by several orders of magnitude. The effective lifetime of (56)Ni, an important waiting point in the rp process in x-ray burst…

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