AN ILLUSTRATION OF A TYPE OF TRIPLE CORRELATION MEASUREMENT WHICH CAN BE EASILY INTERPRETED

Abstract

The Mg²⁶(He⁴, nγ)Si²⁹ reaction has been used to illustrate the simplifications introduced in the interpretation of triple angular correlations by choosing a target and bombarding particles of zero spin and by observing the emitted particles, in this case neutrons, in a counter fixed at 0° to the beam. The angular correlations of the gamma rays with respect to the incident beam then depend only upon the properties of the final states in the residual nucleus. The angular correlation of the electric quadrupole 2.03-Mev gamma ray is predicted uniquely by theory and this prediction has been verified experimentally. The angular correlations of the 1.28-Mev and 2.43-Mev gamma rays have yielded for the E2/M1 amplitude mixing ratios +0.25 ± 0.05 or −3.4 ± 0.5 and −0.26 ± 0.08 or −1.10 ± 0.16 respectively. In addition, the experiment provides an illustration of the value of the recently discovered technique of neutron – gamma-ray discrimination in an organic scintillator.