Evidence of n-$\gamma$ Competition in $^{69,71}$Co Decay

The r-process is known to produce roughly half of the isotopes of heavy elements. Sensitivity studies have shown that the final abundance distributions of r-process nuclei are affected by various input parameters, including nuclear masses and $\beta$-delayed neutron-emission probabilities. While it is expected that neutron capture dominates above the neutron threshold, recent measurements of $\beta$-decay on r-process nuclei have observed $\gamma$-emission above the neutron threshold. This may have an effect on the final abundances of r-process nuclei. For this reason, $\beta$-decay intensities for $^{69,71}$Co were measured using the technique of total absorption spectroscopy at the NSCL. The experimental results reveal another case of neutron-$\gamma$ competition. The implications on r-process nucleosynthesis will be discussed.