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Background: The term Pygmy Dipole Resonance (PDR) denotes an accumulation of electric dipole excitations below and around the neutron separation threshold. It may be important, e.g., for the nucleosynthesis of heavy nuclei or the symmetry energy in the Equation of State (EoS). For a deeper understanding of the PDR, systematic studies are essential.Purpose: The tin isotopic chain is a well-suited candidate to investigate the systematics of the PDR, and the ($\ensuremath{\gamma},{\ensuremath{\gamma}}^{\ensuremath{'}}$) reactions on $^{112,116,120,124}\mathrm{Sn}$ have already been measured in experiments using bremsstrahlung. It was claimed that the extracted electric dipole transition strengths of these isotopes increase with increasing neutron-to-proton ratio with the exception of $^{120}\mathrm{Sn}$. Furthermore, previous results from elastic photon scattering experiments on $^{120}\mathrm{Sn}$ are in disagreement with corresponding $(p,{p}^{\ensuremath{'}})$ Coulomb excitation data. To examine this discrepancy an additional high-sensitivity bremsstrahlung experiment on $^{120}\mathrm{Sn}$ was performed.Method: The Nuclear Resonance Fluorescence (NRF) method is used, which is based on the scattering of real photons. The bremsstrahlung experiment presented in this work was performed with a maximum energy of ${E}_{\ensuremath{\gamma},\mathrm{max}}=9.5\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}\mathrm{MeV}$ at the $\ensuremath{\gamma}\mathrm{ELBE}$ facility at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR). Besides a state-to-state analysis, the quasicontinuum was investigated as well.Results: Above ${E}_{x}=4$ MeV 228 dipole transitions were clearly identified; 163 were observed for the first time. Assuming that all identified dipole transitions have electric dipole character the summed electric dipole strength equals $\ensuremath{\sum}B(E1)\ensuremath{\uparrow}=369(49)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}3}\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}{e}^{2}{\text{fm}}^{2}$ [which amounts to 0.58(8)% of the Thomas-Reiche-Kuhn sum rule] for transitions from 4 MeV to ${S}_{n}=9.1$ MeV. This is an enhancement of a factor 2.3 compared to the previously published $^{120}\mathrm{Sn}(\ensuremath{\gamma},{\ensuremath{\gamma}}^{\ensuremath{'}})$ results. This increase can be explained by the contribution of many weak, previously not included transitions in the state-to-state analysis. The photoabsorption cross sections deduced from the quasicontinuum analysis exceed those of the $(p,{p}^{\ensuremath{'}})$ experiment in average by about $50%$ between 5.9 and 8.7 MeV.Conclusion: The newly extracted summed $B(E1)$ value of the state-to-state analysis is larger than those of $^{112,116}\mathrm{Sn}$ and smaller than that of $^{124}\mathrm{Sn}$. The difference between the electric dipole transition strengths deduced from isolated peaks of the present ($\ensuremath{\gamma},{\ensuremath{\gamma}}^{\ensuremath{'}}$) data and those from the inelastic proton scattering experiment above 6.3 MeV is still striking. The analysis of the photoabsorption cross section including the quasicontinuum of levels overcomes this problem and the results are in the order of magnitude of the $(p,{p}^{\ensuremath{'}})$ data and continue the $(\ensuremath{\gamma},n)$ cross sections at the neutron separation threshold.

Background: Reaction rates of radiative capture reactions can play a crucial role in the nucleosynthesis of heavy nuclei in explosive stellar environments. These reaction rates depend strongly on $\ensuremath{\gamma}$-ray decay widths in the reaction products, which are, for nonresonant capture reactions at high excitation energies, derived from the $\ensuremath{\gamma}$-ray strength function and the nuclear level density. Recently, the ratio method was applied to primary $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ rays observed from ($d,p$) reactions and nuclear resonance fluorescence measurements to extract the dipole strength in atomic nuclei and to test the generalized Brink-Axel hypothesis.Purpose: The purpose of this work is to apply the ratio method to primary $\ensuremath{\gamma}$-ray intensities of the $^{63,65}\mathrm{Cu}(p,\ensuremath{\gamma})$ reactions to extract $\ensuremath{\gamma}$-ray strength information on the nuclei $^{64,66}\mathrm{Zn}$. The impact of spin distribution, total $\ensuremath{\gamma}$-ray decay widths, level densities, and width fluctuations on the application of the ratio method will be discussed. Additionally, by comparing the relative $\ensuremath{\gamma}$-ray strength at different excitation energies, conclusions on the validity of the generalized Brink-Axel hypothesis can be made.Method: The radiative proton capture reaction measurements have been performed at the HORUS $\ensuremath{\gamma}$-ray spectrometer of the University of Cologne at one excitation energy for each reaction. Primary $\ensuremath{\gamma}$-ray intensities have been determined by normalizing secondary $\ensuremath{\gamma}$-ray transitions in two-step cascades using their absolute branching ratio. The ratio method was applied to the measured primary $\ensuremath{\gamma}$-ray intensities as well as to previous measurements by Erlandsson $et$ $al.$ at different excitation energies.Results: The relative strength function curve for $^{64}\mathrm{Zn}$ from our measurement shows no significant deviation from the previous measurement at a different excitation energy. The same is true for $^{66}\mathrm{Zn}$ where both measurements were at almost the same excitation energy. Absolute $\ensuremath{\gamma}$-strength function values have been obtained by normalizing the relative curves to quasiparticle random phase approximation calculations because of the absence of experimental data in the respective energy region.Conclusion: The generalized Brink-Axel hypothesis, i.e., the independence of the strength function on the excitation energy, seems to hold in the studied energy region and nuclei. The method to obtain primary $\ensuremath{\gamma}$-ray intensities from two-step cascade spectra was shown to be a valuable and sensitive tool although its uncertainties are connected to the knowledge of the low-energy level scheme of the investigated nucleus. The scaling in the ratio method should be taken with care, because the relative strength is not a simple sum of ${f}_{E1}$ and ${f}_{M1}$ but a somewhat complex linear combination dependent on the excitation energy of the nucleus.

Background: The low-lying electric dipole strength provides insights into the parameters of the nuclear equation of state via its connection with the pygmy dipole resonance and nuclear neutron skin thickness.Purpose: The aim was to complement the systematic of the pygmy dipole resonance and first study its behavior across the $N=28$ neutron shell closure.Methods: Photon-scattering cross sections of states of $^{50,54}\mathrm{Cr}$ were measured up to an excitation energy of 9.7 MeV via the nuclear resonance fluorescence method using $\ensuremath{\gamma}$-ray beams from bremsstrahlung and Compton backscattering.Results: Transitions strengths, spin and parity quantum number, and average branching ratios for 55 excited states, 44 of which were observed for the first time, were determined. The comparison between the total observed strengths of the isotopes $^{50,52,54}\mathrm{Cr}$ shows a significant increase above the shell closure.Conclusions: The evolution of the pygmy dipole resonance is heavily influenced by the shell structure.

Background: In the $A\ensuremath{\approx}50$ mass region $M1$ spin-flip transitions are prominent around 9 MeV. An accumulation of ${1}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ states between 5 and 8 MeV generating additional $E1$ strength, also denoted as pygmy dipole resonance, has been established in many nuclei with neutron excess within the last decade.Purpose: The $\ensuremath{\gamma}$-decay behavior of $J=1$ states has been investigated in an NRF experiment. $M1$ excitations have been compared to shell model calculations.Methods: $J=1$ states were excited by quasi-monoenergetic, linearly polarized $\ensuremath{\gamma}$-ray beams generated by laser-Compton backscattering at the $\mathrm{HI}\ensuremath{\gamma}\mathrm{S}$ facility, Durham, NC, USA. Depopulating $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ rays were detected with the multidetector array ${\ensuremath{\gamma}}^{3}$.Results: For eleven beam-energy settings the $\ensuremath{\gamma}$-decay behavior of dipole states was analyzed by a state-to-state analysis and average $\ensuremath{\gamma}$-decay branching ratios have been investigated. 34 parity quantum numbers were assigned to $J=1$ states.Conclusions: Six ${1}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ states and two ${1}^{+}$ states have been investigated in NRF experiments for the first time. The $M1$ strength distribution is in good agreement with shell-model calculations.

The low-lying $M1$-strength of the open-shell nucleus $^{50}$Cr has been studied with the method of nuclear resonance fluorescence up to 9.7 MeV, using bremsstrahlung at the superconducting Darmstadt linear electron accelerator S-DALINAC and Compton backscattered photons at the High Intensity $\gamma$-ray Source (HI$\gamma$S) facility between 6 and 9.7 MeV of the initial photon energy. Fifteen $1^{+}$ states have been observed between 3.6 and 9.7 MeV. Following our analysis, the lowest $1^{+}$ state at 3.6 MeV can be considered as an isovector orbital mode with some spin admixture. The obtained results generally match the estimations and trends typical for the scissors-like mode. Detailed calculations within the Skyrme Quasiparticle Random-Phase-Approximation method and the Large-Scale Shell Model justify our conclusions. The calculated distributions of the orbital current for the lowest $1^{+}$-state suggest the schematic view of Lipparini and Stringari (isovector rotation-like oscillations inside the rigid surface) rather than the scissors-like picture of Lo Iudice and Palumbo. The spin M1 resonance is shown to be mainly generated by spin-flip transitions between the orbitals of the $fp$-shell.