Large-scale QRPA calculation of E1-strength and its impact on the neutron capture cross section

Large-scale QRPA calculations of the E1-strength are performed as a first attempt to microscopically derive the radiative neutron capture cross sections for the whole nuclear chart. A folding procedure is applied to the QRPA strength distribution to take the damping of the collective motion into account. It is shown that the resulting E1-strength function based on the SLy4 Skyrme force is in close agreement with photoabsorption data as well as the available experimental E1 strength at low energies. The increase of the E1-strength at low energies for neutron-rich nuclei is qualitatively analyzed and shown to affect the corresponding radiative neutron capture cross section significantly. A complete set of E1-strength function is made available for practical applications in a table format for all 8 less than or equal to Z less than or equal to 110 nuclei lying between the proton and the neutron drip lines. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.