Coherent Bremsstrahlung in the α+p system at 50 MeV/nucleon

Photons originating from coherent bremsstrahlung have been measured over a large dynamic range for the reaction of 200 MeV alpha particles with protons. At low photon energies the bremsstrahlung spectrum exhibits the classical behavior with an approximate 1/E-gamma shape. At higher photon energies there is a pronounced contribution from capture into the unbound ground state and first excited state of Li-5. These results allow one, for the first time, to test theoretical models for a consistent description of bremsstrahlung and radiative capture in a complex system. Calculations predict both features qualitatively but fail to account for their relative importance.