Study of theK39(d, d′)Reaction

Elastic and inelastic scattering of 15-MeV deuterons from a natural potassium target was measured at ∼12 scattering angles between 25 and 90°. Angular distributions corresponding to the following levels in ${\mathrm{K}}^{39}$ were obtained: 2.53, 2.82, 3.02, 3.60 MeV and to groups of unresolved levels at 3.88 and 3.94 MeV and at 4.08, 4.09, and 4.12 MeV. All distributions show a peak at small angles; all, except the one to the 2.53-MeV level, have almost identical shapes. The most strongly excited state is at 3.60 MeV with a peak cross section of 1.1 mb/sr at 34°. The data suggest that the 2.53-MeV level has positive parity, while all the other levels have negative parity and contain appreciable admixtures of a collective octupole vibrational state.