Determining the 7Li(n,gamma) cross section via Coulomb dissociation of 8Li

The applicability of Coulomb dissociation reactions to determine the cross section for the inverse neutron capture reaction was explored using the reaction ${}^{8}$Li($$\gamma${}$,$n$)${}^{7}$Li. A 69.5 MeV/nucleon ${}^{8}$Li beam was incident on a Pb target, and the outgoing neutron and ${}^{7}$Li nucleus were measured in coincidence. The deduced ($n$,$$\gamma${}$) excitation function is consistent with data for the direct capture reaction ${}^{7}$Li($n$,$$\gamma${}$)${}^{8}$Li and with low-energy effective field theory calculations.