Nuclear level density of ${}^{128}$Te from $(\mathrm{p},\mathrm{p}'\gamma)$ scattering and complementary photonuclear data

TL;DR

This study measures the nuclear level density of ${}^{128}$Te using proton scattering and photonuclear data, providing model-independent results that challenge some microscopic theories.

Contribution

The paper introduces a method to extract nuclear level density without relying on traditional model assumptions, combining proton scattering and photonuclear data.

Findings

Level density lies between constant temperature and Fermi gas model predictions.

Results diverge from microscopic Skyrme-force based models.

Provides model-independent nuclear level density data.

Abstract

We have extracted the nuclear level density of ${}^{128}$Te from a $(\mathrm{p},\mathrm{p} '\gamma)$ scattering experiment using the large-volume \labr\ and \cebr\ detectors from ELI-NP at the 9~MV Tandem facilities at IFIN-HH. The decay data were normalised using photonuclear data, resulting in nuclear level densities without intrinsic model dependencies from the constant temperature or Fermi gas models. The deduced nuclear level density follows in between the expectations from these two models, but we observe a clear divergence from a microscopic model based on the Skyrme force.