Dipole strength distribution of Ge 74

The dipole strength distribution of $^{74}\mathrm{Ge}$ was studied in photon-scattering experiments using bremsstrahlung produced with electron beams of energies of 7.0 and 12.1 MeV at the linear accelerator ELBE. We identified 94 levels with spin $J$ = 1 up to an excitation energy of 8.9 MeV and analyzed the strength in the quasicontinuum of states. Simulations of statistical $\ensuremath{\gamma}$-ray cascades were performed to estimate intensities of inelastic transitions and to correct the intensities of the ground-state transitions for their branching ratios. The photoabsorption cross section below the neutron-separation energy derived in this way is combined with the photoabsorption cross section obtained from an earlier $(\ensuremath{\gamma},n)$ experiment and compared with phenomenological approximations.