The (157)Gd(n, gamma) reaction was measured with the DANCE gamma calorimeter (consisting of 160 BaF(2) scintillation detectors) at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center. The multiplicity distributions of the gamma decay were used to determine the resonance spins up to E(n) = 300 eV.
The gamma-ray energy spectra for different multiplicities were measured for the s-wave resonances. The shapes of these spectra were compared with simulations based on the use of the DICEBOX statistical model code.
Simulations showed that the scissors mode is required not only for the ground-state transitions but also for transitions between excited states.