Simulation of an Experiment on the Study of Total Nuclear Photoabsorption Cross Sections in the Region of the Pygmy Resonance

Physics of Atomic Nuclei - An experiment to study total nuclear photoabsorption cross sections at the linear electron accelerator LUE-8-5 (INR, RAS) in the photon energy region of 5–10 MeV...     

Fission probabilities of Cu,Nb, Ag,Ho, Au and Bi nuclei excited by stopped antiprotons

The A dependence of nuclear fission induced by stopped antiprotons has been measured. An unambiguous identification of the binary fission decay mode was provided by a coordinate measurement of complementary fission fragments in coincidence using a large-acceptance fission detector based on low pressure multiwire proportional chambers. A deep fissility minimum was observed nearA=100, in agreement with the general behaviour predicted by the liquid-drop model. An unexpectedly low and high fission probability was found for the Ag and Cu nuclei, respectively.     

Total cross sections for photoabsorption on light nuclei in the energy range 600–1500 MeV

Experimental data of the GRAAL Collaboration on the total cross sections for photoabsorption on deuterium and carbon targets at gamma-ray energies in the range between 600 and 1500 MeV are presented. The experiment was performed in a beam of photons obtained by the method of the Compton backscattering of laser photons at the electron storage ring of the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF, Grenoble, France) by using a wide-aperture detector covering a solid angle close to 4π. The total photoabsorption cross sections were determined by two independent methods: by subtracting the emptytarget background and by summing partial cross sections for meson photoproduction. The total cross sections for photoabsorption on quasifree protons and neutrons are shown to agree both in magnitude and in shape within a 5% precision of the measurements. In contrast to data previously available in the literature, both cross sections show distinctly the F ₁₅(1680) resonance at a photon energy of about 1 GeV. Data obtained in the present experiment for the cross sections for photoabsorption on a free and a bound nucleon are compared. This comparison reveals a substantial role of two-nucleon correlations in estimating the nuclear-medium effect on meson photoproduction.     

Dynamics of Nuclear Cascades in the Photoproduction of Light Neutral Mesons

Physics of Atomic Nuclei - New experimental data on the multifragmentation of carbon nuclei that is initiated by the photoproduction of neutral pions and eta mesons are discussed. The novelty is...     

Meson photoproduction on the nucleon with polarized photons

Meson photoproduction with polarized photons has proved to be a powerful tool to identify contributions of baryon resonances that are not evident in the differential cross-sections. It provides information that are complementary to those extracted using pion-nucleon scattering data. Extensive results have been produced in the past on beam asymmetries by the Graal collaboration for η and π ⁰ on the proton. New results are now available for the same reactions on the quasi-free neutron and for the K⁺ photoproduction on the proton. Contributions from hitherto undetected baryon resonances may be important to understand the results.     

Applying the photonuclear technique to fissile materials detection

Application of a photonuclear technique is considered as a nondestructive method for detecting the unauthorized transporting of camouflaged fissile nuclear material in cargo containers. The advantages of the technique (the use of time selection and the analysis of energy distributions of delayed neutrons) are demonstrated. The operating modes of the accelerator were optimized by modeling. A version of a neutron scintillation spectrometer based on a stylbene monocrystal is presented along with its schematic and main parameters.     

Simultaneous photoproduction of eta and pi0 mesons on the proton

The analysis of the gammap-->etapi(0)p reaction has been performed using data from the GRAAL experiment. The total and differential cross sections and the beam asymmetry have been obtained from threshold up to 1.5 GeV of beam energy. The two resonances S11(1535) and Delta(1700) are expected to be excited in the intermediate states of this reaction. The results are used to test predictions based on the assumption that both resonances are dynamically generated from the meson-baryon interaction provided by chiral Lagrangians. The term involving the Delta(1700) excitation, followed by the decay into etaDelta(1232), is found to be dominant.     

Evidence for nucleon-resonance excitation in omega-meson photoproduction

The photoproduction of the omega meson has been studied at GRAAL from threshold up to a photon energy of 1.5 GeV. The differential cross sections and beam asymmetries have been measured precisely at all angles. The total cross section is also obtained. Systematic enhancements of the differential cross section at large angles and nonzero beam asymmetries at intermediate angles provide clear evidence for s- and u-channel resonant processes. The data are compared to the results of hadron and quark models.     

Latest results from GRAAL collaboration

The GRAAL experimental set-up consists of a polarized and tagged photon beam that covers an energy range from a minimum of 600 MeV up to a maximum of 1500 MeV, of a liquid Hydrogen or Deuterium target and of the 4π Lagrange detector optimized for photon detection. It allows the study of pseudo-scalar and vector meson photoproduction on the nucleon in the energy range corresponding to the second and the third resonance regions. In the following, the Σ beam asymmetries in η and π~0 photoproduction on quasi-free nucleon are shown. Also single and double polarization observables in K~+A photoproduction on free proton are shown; they are important to confirm the role of new or poorly known resonances in the 1900 MeV mass region.