Deuteron Photodisintegration at High Energies

Abstract

The reaction $\gamma +d\to p+n$ was investigated using the photon bremsstrahlung spectrum from the Berkeley 322-Mev electron synchrotron. Protons were detected by a scintillation counter telescope system consisting of three liquid scintillators, each viewed by two or three photomultiplier tubes. Two types of target system were used: high pressure, low temperature deuterium gas, and heavy water-with-water subtraction. Values for ${\left(\frac{d\sigma }{d\Omega }\right)}_{\theta }$ were determined at laboratory angles 30°-90° for $E_{\gamma }$ (center-of-mass) = 140±15 Mev and 200±15 Mev, and at laboratory angles of 30°-115° for $E_{\gamma }$ (center-of-mass) = 250±15 Mev. The following total cross sections were determined: ${\sigma }_{\mathrm{total}}\mathrm{}\left(140\right)=11.8\mathrm{}\pm 4.1\times {10}^{-29\mathrm{}} {\mathrm{cm}}^2; {\sigma }_{\mathrm{total}}\mathrm{}\left(200\right)=10.0\mathrm{}\pm 3.0; {\sigma }_{\mathrm{total}}\mathrm{}\left(250\right)=15.9\mathrm{}\pm \mathrm{6.4.}$ The uncertainties are standard deviations based on counting statistics only; there is an additional 40 percent absolute uncertainty.