We have measured the neutron total and elastic scattering cross sections for the ${}^{204}\mathrm{Pb}+n$ reaction over the neutron energy range 35–1000 keV. Neutron resonance widths and energies have been deduced for 1357 resonances from an R-matrix analysis of the total cross section data. Of this number 317, 424, and 617 are due to s-, p-, and d-wave interactions, respectively, with the parity assignments based mainly upon resonance asymmetries observed in the scattering data. The level densities and strengths of all partial waves are uniform up to a neutron energy of 500 keV. The s-, p-, and d-wave strength functions for this energy region are (in units of ${10}^{-4})$ $1.3\pm 0.2,$ $0.19\pm 0.02,$ and $1.0\pm 0.1,$ respectively. If the strengths are calculated over the entire energy range the values for s and d waves are reduced by 35% and 12%, respectively, while that for p waves is increased by 40%. The s-, p-, and d-wave level densities (in ${\mathrm{keV}}^{-1})$ are $0.33\pm 0.03,$ $0.44\pm 0.02,$ and $0.68\pm 0.01,$ respectively.

• Received 28 September 2002

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.67.024601