Precision photo-induced cross-section measurements using the monoenergetic and polarized photon beams at HI$\gamma$S

A research program has been initiated at TUNL to perform precision ($\gamma$,$\gamma'$) and ($\gamma$,$xn$) cross-section measurements on actinide nuclei using the novel source of radiation at the High Intensity Gamma-ray Source (HI$\gamma$S) facility. This facility provides nearly mono-energetic ($\triangle$E/E $\pm$ 2\%) and intense (10$^8$ s$^{-1}$) photon beams after the recent upgrade. A precision knowledge of photoinduced processes is of practical importance for new reactor technologies, nuclear transmutation, and nuclear forensics. Our recent photodisintegration cross section measurements on radioactive $^{241}$Am targets in the energy range from 9 $<$ E$_\gamma$ $<$ 16 MeV will be presented. The experimental data for the $^{241}$Am($\gamma$,$n$) reaction in the giant dipole resonance energy region will be compared with statistical nuclear-model calculations.