Detailed study of relativistic 9Be → 2α fragmentation in peripheral collisions in a nuclear track emulsion

Recent studies of clustering in light nuclei with an initial energy above 1 A GeV in a nuclear track emulsion are overviewed. The results of investigations of the relativistic ₉Be nuclei fragmentation in emulsion, which entails the production of α particles, are presented. It is shown that most precise angular measurements provided by this technique play a crucial role in the restoration of the excitation spectrum of the α particle system. In peripheral interactions ₉Be → 2α nuclei are dissociated practically totally through the 0⁺ and 2⁺ states of the ⁸Be nucleus.