Mass Measurements for the rp Process

Abstract

One of the key parameters for the reaction network calculations for the rapid proton capture (rp) process, occurring e.g., in type I X-ray bursts, are the masses of the involved nuclei. Nowadays, masses of even rather exotic nuclei can be measured very precisely employing Penning-trap mass spectrometry. With the JYFLTRAP Penning trap at the IGISOL facility, masses of around 100 neutron-deficient nuclei have been determined with a typical precision of a few keV. Most recently, 25Al, 30P, 31Cl, and 52Co have been measured. Of these, the precision of the mass-excess value of 31Cl was improved from 50 to 3.4 keV, and the mass of 52Co was experimentally determined for the first time. The mass of 31Cl is relevant for estimating the waiting-point conditions for 30S as the 31Cl(γ, p)30S–30S(p, γ)31Cl equilibrium ratio depends exponentially on the Q value. For 52Co, located at the path towards 56Ni, a deviation from the extrapolated mass value has been revealed. In this contribution, recent JYFLTRAP experiments for the rp process will be discussed.