Giant multipole resonances in the deformed fissionable nucleus 238U: breakdown of the hydrodynamical models?

The deformed, fissionable nucleus 238u was studied with inelastic scattering of 87.5 MeV electrons between 5 and 40 MeV excitation energy with inelastic momentum transfers ranging from 0.32 fm -1 to 0.58 fm -1 for an excitation energy of 15 MeV. Resonance cross sections extracted were compared with DWBA calculations using the Goldhaber-Teller, Steinwedel-Jensen, and Myers-Swiatecki models of the giant resonance. It is demonstrated that up to the first minimum of the form-factor the cross section is nearly completely determined by one parameter, the transition radius Rtr. Using the known systematics of various multipole resonances in other, non-fissionable, nuclei as a guide, it was found that the assumed ground state radius of 238u had to be enlarged by about 10% for all multipolarities, to bring the strength found in agreement with the systematics and with other experiments in 238u. In particular, while the model-independent values for position and width of the GDR agree well with photon experiments, a scaled version of the Myers-Swiatecki model had to be used to produce agreement in strength. Similarly a scaled Goldhaber-Teller model was used for the isoscalar E2 resonance at 9.9 MeV. The situation for the isovector states above the GDR, E2 and E3 (or EO) is even more complicated. It is argued that with proper caution and consideration of other available data the use of the collective models mentioned above may give valuable insight into the charge distribution of 238u at higher excitation energies