Complete and incomplete fusion in12C+93Nb and16O+89Y reactions

Excitation functions for the evaporation residues for the reactions¹²C+⁹³Nb and¹⁶O+⁸⁹Y in the projectile energy range of 4 to 6.5 MeV/amu have been measured using off-line gamma spectrometry. The excitation functions for neutron(xn), proton(pxn) and one alpha(xn) emission channels are practically similar for both the reactions. However the products formed by two alpha(2xn) emission show much higher cross sections in the¹²C+⁹³Nb than the¹⁶O+⁸⁹Y system. This has been explained in terms of the incomplete fusion process involving transfer of an alpha particle from the projectile to the target in the former case.Authors thank Shri D.C. Ephraim for making the rolled metal foils and the operation crew of PELLETRON facility for their help in carrying out the irradiations. Authors are grateful to Dr. P.R. Natarajan, Head Radiochemistry Division for his keen interest in this work.     

Nuclear orbiting and anomalies in nuclear reactions

In this paper, we report our measurements of back-angle oxygen and carbon particle yields from ¹⁶O+⁸⁹Y, ¹²C+⁹³Nb reactions forming the same compound nucleus ¹⁰⁵Ag at the same excitation energy and spin distribution. We find anomalously large oxygen yield and entrance channel dependence at high excitation energies from ¹⁶O+⁸⁹Y reaction implying formation of a dinuclear orbiting complex. Possible connection between nuclear orbiting and fast fission is also discussed.     

Fission accompanied by alpha particle emission in the12C(85MeV)+232Th reaction

Inclusive and coincident spectra of alpha particles and fission fragments were measured for the²³²Th+¹²C (85 MeV) reaction to study the influence of the excitation energy and the angular momentum on the fission of the compound nucleus and to separate different alpha particle emission mechanisms. At backward angles α emission can be accounted for by the evaporation processes. At forward angles the most important contribution is given by the break-up fusion process. Mass distributions for compound nuclei²⁴⁴Cm (E^*=58 MeV,ff coincidences), and²⁴⁰Pu (E^*=37 MeV,ff α coincidences) were obtained. In the case of²⁴⁰Pu mass distribution has a shape different from those obtained in light ion reactions at the same excitation energy, indicating the strong influence of the entrance channel. The dependence of the mass distribution shape on the α particle energy is also examined.     

Excitation functions of evaporation residues in the interaction of 16O with 103Rh at incident energies up to 400 MeV

The excitation functions for production of 48 residues in the interaction of ¹⁶O with ¹⁰³Rh have been measured at incident energies varying from about 40 to 400MeV. Their analysis shows that many competing reaction mechanism contribute to the formation of these residues including complete fusion, break-up-fusion reactions and ¹⁶O inelastic scattering. The cross-sections of most of these mechanisms are obtained by independent measurements of the spectra of intermediate-mass fragments observed in the interaction of ¹⁶O on ⁹³Nb. The agreement between measured and calculated excitation functions is satisfactory in most of the cases.     

Energy dependence of the C(O, α) reaction

The energy dependence of the ¹²C(¹⁶O, α) reaction was measured at incident energies of E_lab=112−191 MeV. In the range ofE_x(²⁴Mg)=30−56 MeV, the excitation energies of the structures in the inclusive α spectrum were found to vary continuously as a function of incident energy in this region. This fact indicates that these structures do not represent excitations in ²⁴Mg, but rather that they originate from a different process such as a sequential ejectile decay.     

The energy dependence of fusion in the 9Be+28Si system

The angular distributions of the energy spectra of the light charged particles (p, d and α) from the ⁹Be + ²⁸Si reaction have been measured in the energy range 12 ≦ E_lab ≦ 30 MeV. The particle evaporation spectra and the angular distributions were analyzed with a spin dependent statistical model. Angular distributions of ⁹Be ions elastically scattered on ²⁸Si have been measured at the energies 12 MeV, 17 MeV, 23 MeV and 30 MeV and were analysed, together with previously measured cross sections, with the optical model. The fusion cut-off angular momentum l_fus(E), the fusion cross section σ_fus(E) and the ratio σ_fus/σ_R^OM(E) were deduced. The excitation function for fusion was analyzed with the Glas and Mosel model. The parameters obtained from the fusion excitation function were compared with the corresponding ones from the ⁹Be + ²⁸Si optical-model interaction potential.     

12C(12C, 8Be)16O angular distributions and excitation functions between 35 and 69 MeV bombarding energy

An array of eight detectors has been developed for identifying the particle unstable ⁸Be nucleus from nuclear reactions with high detection efficiency. Absolute cross sections have been measured for the reaction ¹²C(¹²C, ⁸Be_g.s.)¹⁶O to the ground state and to several excited states in ¹⁶O. Excitation functions at seven angles from 15° to 45° (lab) in 5° steps have been measured for bombarding energies between E¹²_C(lab) = 35 and 69 MeV. Excitation functions were obtained for the following states in the residual nucleus ¹⁶O which were found to be strongly populated: g.s.(0⁺); 6.1 MeV (0⁺, 3^?); 6.9 MeV (2⁺); 10.4 MeV (4⁺); 11.1 MeV (4⁺); 14.7 MeV (6⁺,…) and 16.3 MeV (6⁺,…). The energy range is covered in 250 keV (c.m.) steps; at certain energy ranges in ¹²⁵ keV or 50keV steps. All excitation functions exhibit a strong energy dependence of the cross section; pronounced gross structures with superimposed fine structures, similar to those observed for ¹²C+¹²C elastic and inelastic scattering at these energies, are observed. At 19.3 MeV, where resonant structures were observed in the reactions ¹²C(¹²C, p)²³Na, ¹²C(¹²C, n)²³Mg and ¹²C(¹²C, d)²²Na, no resonance is found for the reaction studied here. At 60, 61 and 63 MeV angular distributions have been measured in 1° and 2.5°(lab) angular steps. The excitation functions have been analyzed in terms of Ericson fluctuations and cross-correlation functions.     

Momentum-dependent mean field in π<Subscript>0</Subscript> production in Nb + Nb collisions

The Boltzmann-Nordheim-Vlasov (BNV) equation has been solved by using a microscopic momentum-dependent (MD) nuclear mean field. This potential has been calculated in the framework of the self-consistent Brueckner theory up to the second order in the G-matrix. Comparison with the so-called soft and stiff Equation of State (EOS) is presented, using the Skyrme force. Calculations have been performed for the ⁹³Nb + ⁹³Nb reaction at E_lab = 100, 250, 400A MeV. Our results show that the subthreshold π₀ production cross-section is very sensitive to the momentum-dependent mean field, resulting, at the lowest energy, in a total cross-section a factor of 7 larger than that obtained with a local potential. The effect decreases as the bombarding energy increases.     

Experimental determination of the total reaction cross section of the stellar nuclear reaction 16O + 16O

The total reaction cross section for ¹⁶O + ¹⁶O has been measured at six energies between E_c.m. = 6.8 and 11.9 MeV. Cross sections for the production of protons, alphas, neutrons, deuterons, ³¹S, ³⁰P, ¹²C(g.s.) + ²⁰Ne(g.s.) and the relative γ-yield were obtained with a variety of experimental methods. No ³H or ³He were found. All cross sections are normalized to ¹⁶O + ¹⁶O elastic scattering at θ_c.m. = 90°, which was measured separately with high precision between E_c.m. = 7.3 and 14.4 MeV. The elastic scattering and relative γ-yield of ¹²C + ¹²C were measured between E_c.m. = 3.9 and 7.5 MeV. The elastic scattering and neutron yield of ¹²C + ¹⁶O were measured between E_c.m. = 5.4 and 10.1 MeV.     

Nuclear matter approach to the heavy-ion optical potential: (II). Imaginary part

The heavy-ion optical potentials are constructed in a nuclear matter approach, for the ¹⁶O + ¹⁶O, ⁴⁰Ca + ¹⁶O and ⁴⁰Ca + ⁴⁰Ca elastic scattering at the incident energies per nucleon E^lab/A ? 45 MeV. The energy density formalism is employed assuming that the complex energy density of colliding heavy ions is a functional of the nucleon density ?(r), the intrinsic kinetic energy density τ⁽²⁾(r) and the average momentum of relative motion per nucleon K_r(≦ 1.5 fm^?1). The complex energy density is numerically evaluated for the two units of colliding nuclear matter with the same values of ρ, τ⁽²⁾ and K_r. The Bethe-Goldstone equation is solved for the corresponding Fermi distribution in momentum space using the Reid soft-core interaction. The “self-consistent” single-particle potential for unoccupied states which is continuous at the Fermi surface plays a crucial role to produce the imaginary part. It is found that the calculated optical potentials become more attractive and absorptive with increasing incident energy. The elastic scattering and the reaction cross sections are in fair agreement with the experimental data.     

Angular momentum transfer in incomplete fusion

Isomeric cross-section ratios of evaporation residues formed in¹²C+⁹³Nb and¹⁶O+⁸⁹Y reactions were measured by recoil catcher technique followed by off-line γ-ray spectrometry in the beam energy range of 55.7–77.5 MeV for¹²C and 68–81 MeV for¹⁶O. The isomeric cross-section ratios were resolved into that for complete and incomplete fusion reactions. The angular momentum of the intermediate nucleus formed in incomplete fusion was deduced from the isomeric cross-section ratio by considering the statistical deexcitation of the incompletely fused composite nucleus. The data show that incomplete fusion is associated with angular momenta slightly smaller than critical angular momentum for complete fusion, indicating the deeper interpenetration of projectile and target nuclei than that in peripheral collisions.     

First direct measurement of the total cross-section of 12C(α,γ)16O

The total cross-section of ¹²C(α,γ)¹⁶O was measured for the first time by a direct and ungated detection of the ¹⁶O recoils. This measurement in inverse kinematics using the recoil mass separator ERNA in combination with a windowless He gas target allowed to collect data with high precision in the energy range E = 1.9 to 4.9 MeV. The data represent new information for the determination of the astrophysical S(E) factor.     

Energy damping feature in light heavy-ion reactions

The energy damped reaction products from³⁷Cl+¹²C,²⁷Al,⁴⁸Ti and¹⁶O+⁴⁸Ti were measured over a wide range of angles (typically 18°<θ _lab<70°), incident energies (160 <E _lab(³⁷Cl)<200 MeV,E _lab(¹⁶O)=118 MeV) and charges Z, including two systems (³⁷Cl+³⁷Al and¹⁶O+⁴⁸Ti) which lead to the same compound nucleus⁶⁴Zn with the same excitation energy and comparable angular momenta. The angular dependences of total kinetic energy (TKE) and dσ/dθ were decomposed into two components (forward peaked and nearly constant at backward angles), and the elemental TKE and cross sections were derived. The backward components of³⁷Cl+²⁷Al and¹⁶O+⁴⁸Ti exhibit very different Z-distributions, indicating that the fragments do not originate from compound nucleus decay. The results can be understood in terms of an energy damping process.     

Cross-section measurement for the ~(93)Nb(n,2n)~(92g)Nb reaction at the neutron energy of 14.6 MeV by the AMS method

The cross-section for the~(93)Nb(n,2n)~(92g)Nb reaction has been measured at the neutron energy of 14.6 Me V using neutron activation and accelerator mass spectrometry(AMS)determination of the long-lived product nuclide~(92g)Nb.The neutron energy was generated from the D+T neutron source at the China Institute of Atomic Energy(CIAE).The neutron flux was monitored by measuring the activity of~(92m)Nb produced in the competing reaction channel of~(93)Nb(n,2n)~(92m)Nb.At the neutron energy of 14.6 MeV,the~(93)Nb(n,2n)~(92g)Nb reaction cross-section of(736±220)mb was obtained for the first time.     

Investigation of the influence of incomplete fusion on complete fusion of <Superscript>12</Superscript>C-induced reactions at ≈ 4–7.2 MeV/nucleon

In this paper, we present the results of our investigation of reaction dynamics leading to incomplete fusion of heavy ions at moderate excitation energies, especially the influence of incomplete fusion on complete fusion of ¹²C -induced reactions at specific energies ≈ 4–7.2M eV/nucleon. Excitation functions of various reaction products populated via complete and/or incomplete fusions of a ¹²C projectile with ⁹³Nb, ⁵⁹Co and ⁵²Cr targets were measured at several specific energies ≈ 4–7.2 MeV/nucleon, using a recoil catcher technique, followed by off-line γ-ray spectrometry. The measured excitation functions were compared with theoretical values obtained using the PACE4 statistical model code. For representative non-α-emitting channels in the ¹²C + ⁹³Nb system, the experimentally measured excitation functions were, in general, found to be in good agreement with the theoretical predictions. However, for α-emitting channels in the ¹²C + ⁹³Nb, ¹²C + ⁵⁹Co, and ¹²C + ⁵²Cr systems, the measured excitation functions were higher than the predictions of the theoretical model code, which may be credited to incomplete fusion reactions at these energies. An attempt was made to estimate the incomplete fusion fraction for the present systems, which revealed that the fraction was sensitive to the projectile energy and mass asymmetry of the entrance channel.     

Light-charged-particle evaporation from hot 31P nucleus at E*∼ 60 MeV

The inclusive energy spectra of light charged particles, such as, α, p, d and t, evaporated from the hot ³¹P nucleus at an excitation energy E ^*∼ 60 MeV, have been measured at various angles. The compound nucleus ³¹P has been populated using two different entrance channel configurations; i.e., ⁷Li (47 MeV) + ²⁴Mg and ¹⁹F (96 MeV) + ¹²C reactions, leading to the same excitation energy of the compound system. It has been observed that the spectra obtained in the ⁷Li (47 MeV) + ²⁴Mg reaction follow the standard statistical-model prediction with a spherical configuration of the compound nucleus. But, the spectra obtained in the ¹⁹F (96 MeV) + ¹²C reaction deviate from similar predictions of the statistical model both on higher- as well as on lower-energy sides. Considerable deformation was required to be incorporated in the calculation in order to reproduce the measured-energy spectra in this case. Dynamical trajectory model calculations were not found to play any significant role in explaining the differences in behaviour between the two cases under study. The observed discrepancy has been attributed to the difference in the angular-momentum distributions of the compound nuclei formed in the two reactions.     

α-Spectroscopic factor of Ogs from the C(O,C)O reaction

Elastic scattering angular distributions of ¹⁶O + ¹²C in the center of mass energy range from 8.55 MeV to 56.57 MeV have been analyzed considering the effect of the exchange of an alpha particle between projectile and target leading to the same nuclei of the entrance channel (elastic-transfer). An alpha particle spectroscopic factor for the ground state of the ¹⁶O was determined.     

Mechanism of the 12C(11B,15N)8Be reaction and 8Be + 15N optical-model potential

Angular distributions of the ¹²C( ¹¹B, ¹⁵N) ⁸Be reaction were measured at the energy E_lab(¹¹B) = 49 MeV for the transitions to the ground and 2.94 MeV (2⁺) excited state of ⁸Be and to the ground and 5.270 MeV (5/2⁺) + 5.299 MeV (1/2⁺), 6.324 MeV (3/2^-), 7.155 MeV (5/2⁺) + 7.301 MeV (3/2⁺), 7.567 MeV (7/2⁺) excited states of ¹⁵N. The data were analyzed by the coupled-reaction-channel method. The elastic, inelastic scattering and one- and two-step transfers were included in the coupling scheme. The data of the ¹²C( ¹¹B, ⁸Be) ¹⁵N reaction at E_cm = 9.4-17.8 MeV known from the literature, were also included in the analysis. The mechanism of the ¹²C( ¹¹B, ¹⁵N) ⁸Be reaction and the optical-model potential parameters for the ¹⁵N + ⁸Be channel were deduced. The energy dependence of the optical-model parameters for the ¹⁵N + ⁸Be channel was obtained.