We have performed shell-model calculations of the half-lives and neutron-branching probabilities of the r-process waiting point nuclei at the magic neutron number N = 82 .
These new calculations use a larger model space than previous shell model studies and an improved residual interaction which is adjusted to recent spectroscopic data around A = 130 .
Our shell-model results give a good account of all experimentally known half-lives and Q _ { \beta } -values for the N = 82 r-process waiting point nuclei .
Our half-life predictions for the N = 82 nuclei with Z = 42 –46 agree well with recent estimates based in the energy-density functional method .