Neutron scattering from the (155),(156),(157),(158),Gd-160 isotopes: Measurements and analyses with a deformed, semimicroscopic optical model - art. no. 034306

Measurements of elastic and inelastic scattering cross sections have been p erformed for 2.5 and 4.1 MeV neutrons incident on Gd-155,Gd-156.157,Gd-158, Gd-160. Angular distributions have been measured at both energies for the 0 (+), 2(+), and 4(+) members of the ground-state (gs) band of the even-even isotopes and for the 3/2(-), 5/2(-,) and 7/2(-) levels of the gs band of th e even-odd isotopes. Angular distributions for inelastic scattering from th e 9/2(-) level of the gs band of Gd-155 and Gd-157 have also been measured at 4.1 MeV. These results together with previously measured s- and p-wave s trength functions, potential scattering radii, and elemental total cross se ctions have been combined in an analysis based on coupled-channel semimicro scopic optical model potential (OMP) and statistical model calculations. Th e deformed OMP, an extension of our earlier work [E. Bauge, J.P. Delaroche, and M. Girod, Phys. Rev. C 48, 1118 (1998)], is built using a complex dens ity-dependent effective interaction and deformed matter densities deduced f rom unconstrained, axially symmetric Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov (HFB) calculat ions based on the Gogny force. The HFB calculations which describe quite ni cely a wealth of results from electron scattering and Coulomb excitations m easurements, lead to semimicroscopic OMP predictions in good agreement with the neutron scattering and reaction measurements. A phenomenological OMP a nalysis is also performed to compare the global properties of both potentia ls.