Polarization phenomena in inelastic meson photoproduction on a nucleus whose excited final state undergoes fast gamma decay

The differential cross sections for two-step reactions where inelastic meson photoproduction on light nuclei is followed by a fast gamma decay of the excited final-state nucleus are calculated in the plane-wave impulse approximation on the basis of the shell model for intermediate coupling. The polarization of the recoil nucleus in the photoproduction process is expressed in terms of the angular distribution of secondary photons and their circular asymmetry.