Photonuclear reactions at intermediate energies

Abstract

The interaction mechanism between an intermediate-energy photon and a nucleus is discussed with special attention given to Siegert’s theorem and the role of exchange currents. In particular, the relative contributions of (γ, p), (γ, n), (γ, pp), (γ, nn) and (γ, pn) cross-sections for16O to the total photonuclear cross-section are studied in the region of photon energies between 40 and 140 MeV, and comparison with recent measurements is made. Numerical results for (γ, p) and (γ, n) reactions in light nuclei are discussed for photon energies extending from 40 MeV up to the Δ region.