On γ-decay of high lying states produced in the interaction of 14.6 MeV neutrons with 56Fe

In the present work an attempt was made to confirm the strong γ-competition at excitations higher than the treshold of the nucleon emission, observed in recent experiments. Estimation of related cross sections for 56Fe(n,n'γ) at an initial neutron energy 14.6 MeV was performed by the n - γ coincidence technique. The cross section obtained in the present work σsub(n'γ)(0.3<Esub(n')<1.1 MeV)=46+-24 mb is in accord with previously reported values. Although our results support the strong γ-competition at high excitations, more experimental information is necessary to draw definite conclusions about the nature of the process. (author)