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Neutron capture reactions are responsible for the synthesis of almost all of the elements heavier than iron through s-process and r-process nucleosynthesis. Uncertainties in (n,γ) rates on neutron-rich nuclei can have significant impact on the predictions of observed r-process abundances for different astrophysical scenarios. The (d,pγ) reaction has recently been demonstrated to be a valid surrogate for (n,γ). This reaction has been measured in inverse kinematics with Gammasphere ORRUBA: Dual Detectors for Experimental Structure Studies (GODDESS) where the Gammasphere array of Compton-suppressed HPGe detectors is coupled to the Oak Ridge Rutgers University Barrel Array (ORRUBA) of position-sensitive silicon-strip detectors. Preliminary results from the (d,pγ) measurement with 134Xe beams are reported.

GODDESS is a coupling of the charged-particle detection system ORRUBA to the gamma-ray detector array Gammasphere. This coupling has been developed in order to facilitate the high-resolution measurement of direct reactions in normal and inverse kinematics with stable and radioactive beams. GODDESS has been commissioned using a beam of 134 Xe at 10 MeV/A, in a campaign of stable beam measurements. The measurement demonstrates the capabilities of GODDESS under radioactive beam conditions, and provides the first data on the single-neutron states in 135 Xe, including previously unobserved states based on the orbitals above the N=82 shell closure.