| The rp-process is responsible for observed X-ray bursts originating from accreting neutron stars in binary systems. This explosive process drives nucleosynthesis toward the proton drip line where little experimental data exists, making it necessary to rely on models.; One of these models (GAMBLER) has been developed in order to study the effects detailed nuclear physics has on the rp-process above 56Ni. Results from calculations suggest the mass of 64Ge and 65As will have a strong effect on the nucleosynthetic processing time beyond 64Ge.; The use of (p,d) transfer reactions for measuring the masses of 64Ge and 65As was studied by detailed Monte Carlo simulations which take into considerations all experimental uncertainties. The results show this technique provides a powerful tool in determining the masses of proton rich nuclei with high accuracy. However, it requires high-resolution detectors to achieve accuracies of astrophysical relevance.; A high-resolution array (HiRA) of silicon strip detector and CsI(Tl) crystal was developed. This array consists of 20 identical telescopes, each consisting of a 65 mum thick single sided silicon strip detector, a 1.5 mm thick double sided silicon strip detector, and 4 CsI(Tl) crystals read out by photo-diodes. The array utilizes a new application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) to signal processing of the 2000 signals.; In addition to HiRA, a high-rate, high-resolution, position sensitive beam tracking system using micro channel plate detectors was developed. |
