Determining the resonance strength of the $^{56}$Ni \textit{rp}-process waiting point through (d,n) with VANDLE and MoNA-LISA

The rapid proton capture (\textit{rp}) process of explosive nucleosynthesis is believed to be the driver of $X$-ray bursts and creates nuclei up to around mass 110. Whereas much of this process burns in an equilibrium determined by half-lives and masses, the waiting point at $^{56}$Ni is unique. At this point the process reaches its peak luminosity and the synthesis of almost all heavier nuclei pass through the $^{56}$Ni(p,$\gamma )^{57}$Cu reaction. Since the gamma-decay width dominates the relevant resonance in $^{57}$Cu, a measurement of its proton partial width can be used to extract the proton-capture resonance strength. An experiment to do this was performed at the NSCL using the Versatile Array of Neutron Detectors at Low Energy (VANDLE) along with the MoNA-LISA neutron detector arrays; and was the commissioning experiment for VANDLE with a transfer reaction. The events in the digitizing electronics of VANDLE were event-matched to the MoNA-LISA-Sweeper data acquisition system.