Speaker
Description
In this contribution, we will present the ongoing scientific program to measure photon strength functions and nuclear level densities using the charged-particle beams available at the 9 MV Tandem accelerator facility at IFIN-HH, with the ELI-NP large-volume LaBr$_{3}$:Ce and CeBr$_{3}$ scintillator detectors [1]. One of the goals of these measurements is to determine the components used to calculate nuclear reaction rates, especially neutron-capture reactions. These reaction rates, in turn, are needed for our understanding of nuclear processes during stellar nucleosynthesis. These measurements have been carried out at ELI-NP/IFIN-HH using inelastic proton scattering and have been compared with complementary data from other facilities. In a first (p,p'γ) scattering experiment in 2023, we measured photon-ray strength functions and nuclear level densities of ${}^{112,114}$Sn [2]; this was followed up in 2024 with the nuclear level density of ${}^{128}$Te [3]. In 2025, the nuclear level density of ${}^{140}$Ce and the (p,p'γ) scattering spin distribution of ${}^{176}$Yb were investigated and are currently under analysis. Here, we provide an overview of these measurements, their results, and future potential.