Cross-section measurements of nuclides formed by the reaction of 0.20-6.0 GeV protons with ¹⁹⁷Au

Cross sections of a number of radioactive products formed by the reaction of protons with ¹⁹⁷Au have been measured at bombarding energies of 0.20, 0.49, 1.0, 3.0, and 6.0 GeV. The excitation functions for specific nuclides exhibit several different types of behavior which are characteristic of the reaction mechanisms involved. Spallation products have excitation functions which rise rapidly above an energetic threshold, go through a maximum, and then decrease again, finally approaching a constant cross section at the highest energies. The excitation functions of light nuclides do not exhibit such a peak, but increase monotonically to the asymptotic high-energy limit. Mass-yield distributions are derived from the data, and are compared with the results of intranuclear cascade-evaporation calculations. Comparison of the massyield distribution for protons with those for incident pions shows that the rest energy of the pion is as effective in transferring excitation energy to the target as the same amount of kinetic energy.

NUCLEAR REACTIONS ¹⁹⁷Au(p, x) ²⁴Na-¹⁹⁶Au, E_p=0.20-6.0 GeV; measured σ; derived mass-yield distributions.