Spin- and Parity-Resolved Level Densities from High-Resolution Hadron and Electron Scattering Studies of Giant Resonances ⁎

We present spin- and parity-resolved level densities extracted from high-resolution hadron and electron scattering data by means of a fluctuation analysis. A nearly model-independent method based on discrete wavelet transform is introduced for the determination of a non-resonant background. The data obtained are compared to the predictions of two models widely used in applications for astrophysical network calculations with an emphasis on a possible parity dependence of nuclear level densities.