The astrophysical p-process, the stellar production mechanism of the heavy, proton rich isotopes (p-isotopes), is one of the least studied processes in nucleosynthesis. In this project, nuclear reaction cross section measurements have been carried out in the mass and energy range of p-process to check the reliability of the statistical model calculations and to put the p-process models on a more reliable base. The accelerators of Atomki provided the necessary basis for such studies. The p-process model calculations are especially sensitive to the rates of reactions involving alpha particles and heavy nuclei. The uncertainty in these reaction rates is presently one of the biggest contributions to the uncertainty of p-isotope abundance calculations. With the help of the ERC grant, the alpha-induced reaction cross sections could be measured on several heavy isotopes for the first time, which contributed to a better understanding of the astrophysical p-process.

Funding: 750 000 EUR