EFFECTS OF PAIR CORRELATIONS IN STATISTICAL GAMMA-DECAY SPECTRA

Statistical gamma-decay spectra from excited nuclear states are calcul ated. The spectra reflect the perturbation of the level density by pai r correlations and, hence, the stepwise weakening of the pair correlat ions with increasing quasiparticle number. The level density is obtain ed by counting many-quasiparticle states from a self-consistent BCS ca lculation or from a diagonalization of particle number-projected state s. The calculated spectra resemble measured spectra from the decay out of superdeformed bands, but have only similar to 70% of the measured intensity.