Photodisintegration of heavy nuclei in the energy region above the giant dipole resonance

Abstract

Experimental data on yields of multiparticle photonuclear reactions (involving the emission of up to seven neutrons from the nucleus involved) on 197Au, 203,205Tl, and 209Bi nuclei in the region extending from the giant dipole resonance to an energy of 67.7 MeV are presented. These data are compared with the results of modern theoretical calculations that take into account both the excitation of a giant dipole resonance (GDR) in a nucleus and the photodisintegration of quasideutrons (QD) in it. By and large, experimental data confirm the results of theoretical calculations—that is, only upon taking simultaneously into account both alternative photodisintegration mechanisms (GDR excitation and QD photodisintegration) can one describe these experimental data. The contribution of QD photodisintegration grows with increasing photon energy and neutron multiplicity and becomes dominant for reactions involving the emission of not less than five neutrons from the nucleus being considered. The integrated cross sections for the processes in question were estimated on the basis of simultaneously employing experimental yields of multinucleon photonuclear reactions and the respective cross-section shapes calculated theoretically.