Background : 50 % of the heavy element abundances are produced via slow neutron capture reactions in different stellar scenarios .
The underlying nucleosynthesis models need the input of neutron capture cross sections . Purpose : One of the fundamental signatures for active nucleosynthesis in our galaxy is the observation of long-lived radioactive isotopes , such as ^ { 60 } Fe with a half-life of 2.60 \times 10 ^ { 6 } yr. To reproduce this \gamma -activity in the universe , the nucleosynthesis of ^ { 60 } Fe has to be understood reliably . Methods : A ^ { 60 } Fe sample produced at the Paul-Scherrer-Institut was activated with thermal and epithermal neutrons at the research reactor at the Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz . Results : The thermal neutron capture cross section has been measured for the first time to \sigma _ { \text { th } } = 0.226 ( ^ { +0.044 } _ { -0.049 } ) \text { b } .
An upper limit of \sigma _ { \text { RI } } < 0.50 \text { b } could be determined for the resonance integral . Conclusions : An extrapolation towards the astrophysicaly interesting energy regime between kT = 10 keV and 100 keV illustrates that the s-wave part of the direct capture component can be neglected .