Description
There are about 35 proton-rich nuclei whose production cannot be explained by neutron capture processes. The synthesis of these so-called p nuclei is thought to be realized in different astrophysical scenarios which are usually referred to as sites of p-process nucleosynthesis. These scenarios will be briefly introduced including the different approaches to determine the nuclear physics needed for their modelling. As a highlight, the production of the lightest p nuclei via proton capture reactions in thermonuclear supernovae will be presented. Two recent publications [1,2] found a significant contribution to the production of the most abundant p nucleus 92-Mo by this mechanism. Experimental approaches for the determination of the required reaction rates will be explained and first results will be shown.
[1] C. Travaglio et al., The Astrophysical Journal 739 (2011) 93
[2] M. Kusakabe et al., The Astrophysical Journal 726 (2011) 25
