1st Measurement Of The Reaction He-3(Gamma-],P)X With Polarized Photons

The first measurement of the reaction He-3(gamma over arrow pointing right, p)X using linearly polarized photons is reported. Cross sections and beam-polarization asymmetries for theta(p)lab = 60-degrees - 100-degrees and E(gamma) - 195-304 MeV are compared with a microscopic calculation which includes one-, two-, and three-nucleon absorption mechanisms. One- and two-nucleon absorption alone fails to describe the data at low proton momenta. The inclusion of three-nucleon absorption significantly improves the comparison with the measured cross sections. However, some features of the asymmetry distributions are not explained.