Structures in the nuclear electric-dipole spectrum

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I undertake an anatomy of the nuclear electric-dipole spectrum and discuss selected observations. First, using data and calculations on 208Pb as a representative case, I identify five conspicuous structures in the spectra of heavy nuclei: (1) the giant dipole resonance (GDR), (2) the dipole compression mode, (3) the isoscalar low-energy dipole mode (IS-LED),(4) the isoscalar mode in the region of the GDR, and (5) a concentration of "pygmy" dipole strength (PDS) between the latter two. Next, compiling the data from Texas A&M I show that the energy of (4) follows roughly a A⁻¹/⁶ dependence on the mass number. Finally, I summarize recent theoretical studies on the PDS in exotic nuclei, which suggest a strong influence of shell effects and loose binding.