Lifetime measurements of excited nuclear states of astrophysical interest via the Doppler Shift Attenuation Method

The Doppler Shift Attenuation Method (DSAM) is a known technique to measure lifetimes of excited states in the range of fs up to ps. The energy of a Doppler shifted γ-ray, which is emitted by a decelerating de-exciting nucleus, is measured with a HPGe detector. The lifetime of the excited state can then be extracted from the Doppler shifted γ-ray energy spectrum. A DSAM facility to measure lifetimes of nuclei of astrophysical interest has been built by the nuclear astrophysics group at the Technische Universität München. First tests and experiments have been done in the end of August this year at the Maier-Leibnitz-Laboratorium in Munich. A study of a ³²S beam into a ³He implanted gold target has been used to test and understand the detector system. Experiments to study lifetimes of astrophysical interest will be performed in the future.