Evidence for M1 scissors resonances built on the levels in the quasicontinuum of 163Dy.

Spectra of two-step gamma cascades following the thermal 162Dy(n,gamma)163Dy reaction have been measured. Distinct peaklike structures observed at the midpoints of these spectra are interpreted as a manifestation of the low-energy isovector M1 vibrational mode of excited 163Dy nuclei.

Neutron capture on (180)Ta(m): clue for an s-process origin of nature's rarest isotope.

The neutron capture cross section of (180)Ta(m) has been measured in the keV range, yielding a stellar average of 1465+/-100 mb at kT = 30 keV. Though the sample contained only 6.7 mg (180)Ta(m) (at an enrichment of 5.5%), the few capture events could be separated from much larger backgrounds by a unique combination of high efficiency, good energy resolution, and high granularity of the Karlsruhe 4 pi BaF(2) detector. A detailed s-process analysis based on this first experimental value indicates that (180)Ta(m) is predominantly of s-process origin.