We have investigated the mechanisms leading to two and three body photon absorption in nuclei. At photon energies around the pion production threshold we obtain a fraction of three body absorption of less than 10% of the total, contradicting previous theoretical claims that it dominates the absorption process. The strength of the three body channel grows smoothly with the photon energy reaching a maximum of about 60% of the total direct absorption at energies of the photon around 400 MeV. © 1996 The American Physical Society.

• Received 27 March 1995

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.53.305