Partial photoneutron cross sections for the isomeric state 180Tam

• Published in: Physical review letters Vol. 96; no. 19; p. 192501
• Main Authors: Goko, S, Utsunomiya, H, Goriely, S, Makinaga, A, Kaihori, T, Hohara, S, Akimune, H, Yamagata, T, Lui, Y-W, Toyokawa, H, Koning, A J, Hilaire, S
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 19-05-2006
• ISSN: 0031-9007

Photoneutron cross sections for (181)Ta(y, n) (180)Ta(m) were determined from simultaneous measurements of total cross sections (sigma(tot) and ground-state cross sections (sigma(gs)) for (180)Ta in photodisintegration of with laser Compton-backscattered rays. Techniques of direct neutron counting and photoactivation were used for the measurement of sigma(tot) and sigma(gs), respectively. The partial cross sections for the isomeric state serves as a novel probe of the nuclear level density of (180)Ta. Implications for the p- and s-process nucleosynthesis of (180)Ta(m) are given.