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Internal Transitions In Nuclei And Applications To Astrophysics And Cosmochemistry, Joseph Johnson

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In this dissertation I analyze internal transitions in nuclei and their potential effects on s-process branching and on accelerated β-decay in cosmochemical samples. To accomplish my analysis, I have constructed a number of computational tools, which I have publicly released or make available through this thesis. I apply my analysis to the question of s-process branching at 186Re and study the implications for the osmium isotopes in mainstream presolar SiC grains. My essential conclusion is that the problem of the large neutron flux inferred from the SiC osmium isotopic abundances cannot be solved by branching through an out-of-equilibrium isomer of …