Test of the Statistical Assumption in Nuclear Reactions

The angular distribution of protons inelastically scattered from ${\mathrm{A}}^{40}$, leading to the excitation of the 1.47-Mev level, has been measured at bombarding energies of 9.8, 9.0, and 8.5 Mev. An attempt is made to relate these data to the possibility of correlations in the phases of the levels excited in the compound nucleus.