Photoactivation studies on astrophysically relevant nuclei: measuring techniques for activated samples

For studying the neutron deficient p-nuclei experimentally, we have started and experimental program at the bremsstrahlung facility of the superconducting electron accelerator ELBE of FZ Dresden-Rossendorf . Photodisintegration measurements on the astrophysically relevant p-nuclei 92Mo and 144Sm have been performed via photoactivation technique with bremsstrahlung end-point energies from 10.0 to 16.5 MeV. In particular the (gamma,alpha) reactions of the mentioned nuclei were studied for the first time at different endpoint energies above and close to the threshold. The activation yields from all measurements are compared with calculations using cross sections from recent Hauser-Feshbach models. The radioactive decay of irradiated targets with very low counting statistics was studied at the low-background underground laboratory "Felsenkeller" in Dresden.