Speaker
Description
High energy-resolution proton inelastic scattering experiments with E$_p$ = 200 MeV were performed on the even-even Nd isotope chain and $^{152}$Sm. The relativistic Coulomb excitation experiments focused on the excitation-energy region of the IsoVector Giant Dipole Resonance (IVGDR) and made use of the zero-degree mode of the K600 magnetic spectrometer at iThemba LABS. A goal of the highlighted study was to confirm the K-splitting observed in previous photo-absorption measurements at Saclay. The comparison of the shape of the IVGDR in the transition from spherical to deformed nuclei yielded significant discrepancies between equivalent photo-absorption cross sections obtained from the K600 data and the photo-absorption data obtained at Saclay. In addition, discrepancies have also been observed between photo-absorption data taken at the Saclay and Livermore laboratories. These discrepancies will be discussed along with future investigations into the possible reasons for them.
