Radiative Transitions in8Be

A measurement has been made of the angular correlation between the 14.7 MeV γ-radiation from the reaction 7 Li(p,γ) and the α-particles from the break-up of the 2.9 MeV excited state of 8 Be. The electric quadrupole to magnetic dipole amplitude ratio δ can be derived from the angular correlation. Under the assumption that the resonant component of the γ-radiation has an isotropic angular distribution, δ is found to be 0.21 ± 0.07. The predictions of the independent particle model, using a central force fitted to the properties of neighbouring nuclei, are in good agreement with the observed ratio δ and with the widths of both the 17.6 MeV and the 14.7 MeV transitions when the intermediate coupling parameter a/K is about 2.