Neutron strength functions of nuclei in the deformed region

P-wave neutron strength functions of 21 nuclei, in the rare-earth and deformed region 138 <A < 202, have been extracted from the average capture cross sections measured using SbBe photoneutrons and activation technique. S-wave neutron contribution is computed using the s-wave resonance parameters available in literature and subtracted out from the measured total capture cross section to yield the p-wave neutron capture contribution from which the p-wave neutron strength functions are extracted. Present results are found to be in general agreement with the values reported in literature. The experimental p-wave neutron strength functions are also compared with the theoretical predictions based on the different versions of the optical model potential, and qualitative agreement is observed with the deformed optical model theory of Buck and Perey. Strong evidence for shell structure effects is also noticed.