DEPENDENCE OF DIRECT NEUTRON-CAPTURE ON NUCLEAR-STRUCTURE MODELS

The prediction of cross sections for nuclei far off stability is cruci al in the field of nuclear astrophysics. We calculate direct neutron c apture on the even-even isotopes Sn124-145 and Pb208-238 with energy l evels, masses, and nuclear density distributions taken from different nuclear-structure models. The utilized structure models are a Hartree- Fock-Bogoliubov model, a relativistic mean field theory, and a macrosc opic-microscopic model based on the finite-range droplet model and a f olded-Yukawa single-particle potential. Due to the differences in the resulting neutron separation and level energies, the investigated mode ls yield capture cross sections sometimes differing by orders of magni tude. This may also lead to differences in the predicted astrophysical r-process paths.