Giant Dipole Resonance Studies with the K600 Magnetic Spectrometer

Lindsay Michelle Donaldson (iThemba LABS, South Africa)

The Giant Resonances (GRs) are collective motions of nucleons in a nucleus. The first indication of the existence of GRs was the dominant GR structure observed in photoabsorption measurements, which is now known as the IsoVector Giant Dipole Resonance (IVGDR). Although photoabsorption is the tool used most extensively to study the IVGDR, direct nuclear reactions like inelastic scattering have proven to be just as effective, avoiding some of the experimental complications of direct photoabsorption measurements, provided that the appropriate kinematics are selected. The inelastic scattering of protons with beam energies of a few hundred MeV at scattering angles close to 0 degrees has been used extensively at the iThemba Laboratory for Accelerator Based Sciences (iThemba LABS) to study both the broad and fine structure of the GDR. A general overview of giant resonances and their measurement will be provided. In addition, some specific experimental results will be discussed with a particular focus on the IVGDR in the rare-earth region. The results from iThemba LABS will be compared and contrasted with those from photoabsorption studies and the implications of these comparisons will be addressed.