Photodissociation of the Deuteron from 150 to 450 Mev

Abstract

The photodissociation of the deuteron has been investigated for laboratory photon energies of 150, 200, 250, 300, 350, 400, and 450 Mev at laboratory angles of 39, 56, 74, 93, 115, and 138 degrees. The process was identified by detecting the recoil protons in a range-ionization telescope. The total cross section has a relative minimum at 150 Mev followed by a relative maximum at 250 Mev where its values are 53×${10}^{-30\mathrm{}}$ ${\mathrm{cm}}^2$ and 63×${10}^{-30\mathrm{}}$ ${\mathrm{cm}}^2$, respectively. From 150 to 250 Mev the center-of-momentum angular distributions have a strong forward maximum which diminishes at higher energies until the distributions become approximately symmetrical. There is qualitative agreement with meson theories on some points.