Photodisintegration of Deuterium by 60- to 250-Mev X-Rays

A liquid deuterium target was irradiated with x-rays from the University of Illinois 300-Mev betatron. Exposures were made at maximum bremsstrahlung energies of 165 Mev, 280 Mev, and 300 Mev. The photoprotons produced were detected with Ilford $G-5\mathrm{}$ nuclear emulsions. The distributions of protons as functions of energy were determined for laboratory angles of 30°, 45°, 75°, 120°, and 150°. In the energy region from 60 Mev to 250 Mev the angular distributions are relatively flat but have considerable fore and aft asymmetries. The total cross section, which was found not to vary greatly over this entire energy region, has a broad minimum of about 55 microbarns in the region of 150 Mev.