Nuclear reactions of X-rays

One can think of the dispersive scattering of X-rays by nuclei as the resonance scattering associated with the giant (Goldhaber-Teller) resonance absorption that occurs in most nuclei between 20 and 30Mev. This scattering has been studied by Fuller and Hayward. The dispersive or resonance scattering has its main effects below 50 Mev. 

The Compton scattering of X-rays by protons should have a cross-section of the order of magnitude 

Their results are in agreement with a nuclear radius of R = 1.1 x 10 cm. In principle such measurements should yield the same information as those of 

Hofstadter et al, [8] with electron scattering (see Chap. E). However, experimentally the X-ray scattering experiments do not have the good energy resolution of the electron scattering experiments. 

At higher energies both the neutrons and protons should contribute to the scattering. If neutrons do contribute appreciably to the coherent scattering of X-rays by nuclei, it would be worthwhile to study the X-ray scattering at such energies. Specifically a comparison of the results of such measurements with the results of Hofstadter might answer the question as to whether neutrons and protons have the same spatial distribution in nuclei. 

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