Measurement of the 151Sm n,gamma 152Sm cross section at n_TOF

The 151 Sm(n, γ ) 152 Sm cross section, which is important for the interpretation of the 151 Sm branching as an s -process thermometer, was measured from 1 eV up to 1 MeV at the innovative n_TOF facility at CERN. Based on these data, the Maxwellian-averaged cross section at k T = 30  keV is found to be 3100±160 mb. This value can be used to constrain the thermodynamical conditions in Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars during He-shell burning.