First Measurement of Statistical Gamma-ray Transitions in $^{88}$Sr at TUNL via Inelastic Neutron Scattering*

Predictions of the intensity distribution of $\gamma$ rays emitted by product nuclei of a certain nuclear reaction are of interest for nuclear astrophysics to estimate the photon flux during a supernova as well as for applied physics for calculating radiation shielding, for instance. Furthermore, by knowing the average $\gamma$-ray spectrum for a given isotope we can predict whether the nucleus will transmute if it is exposed to a strong $\gamma$ flux as the ``hot supernova-explosion scenario'' suggests. We report results for the distribution of $\gamma$ rays following the $^{88}$Sr(n,n'$\gamma$) reaction. This experiment, carried out for the first time at TUNL's FN 10 tandem, aims at measurement of the statistical $\gamma$ rays and is complementary to our previous experiments on $^{87}$Sr(n,$\gamma$) at LANSCE and $^{88}$Sr$(\gamma,\gamma')$ at the High Intensity $\gamma$-Ray Source Facility.