The reaction238U +238U at 7.42MeV/u

One-particle-inclusive measurements have been performed for the charge, kinetic energy and angular distributions of reaction products from²³⁸U +²³⁸U at 1 766MeV (7.42MeV/u) incident energy. The deep inelastic products exhibit features similar to those seen in reactions induced by medium heavy nuclei: increasing particle transfer is observed with increasing energy damping, the angular distributions are peaked near the grazing angle, they broaden significantly with increasing energy loss and/or charge transfer. The dominant reaction mechanism, however, is found to be sequential fission of one or both primary reaction products. The reconstructed primaryZ- andQ-value distributions show more particle transfer at a given energy loss than in other systems, i.e. the diffusion process seems to proceed colder in this system. This is confirmed by relatively large cross sections for surviving deep inelastic reaction products belowZ=92. A direct search forα-decay or fission of superheavy nuclei being produced in a deep inelastic reaction and being implanted in a surface barrier detector resulted in an upper cross section limit of 2 ×10^?32cm².     

The (18O,16O) reaction on even tin isotopes

The two-neutron transfer reaction^ASn(¹⁸O,¹⁶O)^A+2Sn has been measured for the isotopes A=112, 116, 118, 120, 122 and 124 at bombarding energies of 57 and 60 MeV together with the elastic scattering. Angular distributions have been analysed for the transitions to the ground state and to the first excited 2⁺ state. The observed ground state transition is strongly enhanced. The theoretical DWBA analysis is performed with a finite range 2n-transfer form factor including recoil correction. The calculated cross section reproduces the observed systematic change over all isotopes. The absolute cross sections are normalized by a factor of 4.7 and 7.5, depending on the two different sets of 2n-wave functions used in the analysis. The results confirm the prediction of the pairing model that the transition strengths of a neutron pair between the ground states of even tin isotopes are the same.     

Inverse Quasifission in <Superscript>156,160</Superscript>Gd + <Superscript>186</Superscript>W Reactions

To investigate the impact shell effects have in the formation of neutron-rich fragments in multinucleon transfer reactions, a series of experiments to explore the binary channel in ^156,160Gd + ¹⁸⁶W reactions at energies near and above the Coulomb barrier is performed at the Flerov Laboratory’s U-400 accelerator using the CORSET setup. These experiments are aimed mainly at obtaining the production cross sections of leadlike fragments in the process of inverse quasifission. The mass, energy, and angular distributions of the binary reaction products are measured at energies of 860 and 935 MeV of ¹⁶⁰Gd ions and 878MeV in the case of ¹⁵⁶Gd ions. The excitation energies of primary fragments are estimated using their measured mass–energy distributions. Enhanced yields of products with masses of 200–215 amu are observed for both reactions. At energies above the barrier for side-to-side collisions (935 MeV), the yield of lead-like fragments is an order of magnitude larger than at energies near the Coulomb barrier, due possibly to the influence of orientation effects. The enhancement observed in the yield of reaction products with masses heavier than the target mass confirms that multinucleon transfer reactions can be used to obtain new neutron-rich isotopes, and to synthesize new superheavy elements.     

Study of the heavy products from84Kr+238U collisions at 522 MeV

Angular distributions and integral cross sections for heavy reaction products from⁸⁴Kr +²³⁸U collisions at 522 MeV were measured using catcher foil techniques and off-line X-ray identification of individual reaction product isotopes. There is no evidence for a fission-fusion mechanism being responsible for the formation of the “gold finger”. The data show that usual deep inelastic collisions account for the formation of all products with 70≦Z≦86. Compared to existing data atE≦605 MeV, the deduced mass distribution indicates reduced fission probabilities forZ≧80 fragments at 522 MeV. This is consistent with the expected dependence of fission probability on excitation energy and especially on angular momentum.     

Systematic experimental survey on projectile fragmentation and fission induced in collisions of 238U at 1 A GeV with lead

Projectile fragmentation and fission, induced in collisions of ²³⁸U at 1 A GeV with lead, have systematically been studied. A complete survey on the isotopic production cross sections of all elements between vanadium (Z = 23) and rhenium (Z = 75) down to a cross section of 0.1 mb is given. About 600 isotopes produced in fragmentation and about 600 isotopes produced in fission were identified in the GSI fragment separator FRS from magnetic rigidities, time-of-flight values, and the energy loss in an ionisation chamber. In addition, the velocity distributions of all these reaction products have been mapped, and the products are unambiguously attributed to the different reaction mechanisms due to their kinematical properties. The results are compared with empirical systematics and previous data. The velocity of the fragments obtained in the fission process by the Coulomb repulsion allows one to reconstruct the TKE-value of the break-up and to identify the atomic number of the fissioning nucleus in hot fission. The mean velocities of light projectile fragments were found to be higher than the beam velocity.     

Interaction of <Superscript>12</Superscript>C ions with nuclei of enriched tin isotopes at an energy of 2.2 GeV per nucleon

The formation cross sections for about 110 products of interaction between a ¹²C ion beam of energy 2.2 GeV per nucleon and tin targets from the isotopes ^{112,118,120,124}Sn were calculated. Massyield and charge distributions were obtained for ^112,118,124Sn targets. An analysis of these charge distributions reveals that the positions of their maxima, Z _p , are different for targets having different nucleon compositions. The formation cross sections for neutron-rich products originating from neutron-rich targets are found to increase in all product-mass regions considered in our study. Mass distributions are compared for proton-, deuteron- and ion-nucleus reactions.     

Some regularities in the production of isotopes with 4 ≦ Z ≦ 9 in the interaction of 22Ne with 232Th

In the bombardment of ²³²Th with ²²Ne ions with an energy of 172 MeV the energy spectra and production cross sectionslfor isotopes of elements ranging ifrom Be to F have been measured at an emission angle of 12°. It is shown that all of the isotopes detected have been produced by deep inelastic collisions of the initial nuclei, i.e. the kinetic energies of the reaction products are close to the exit Coulomb barriers. It is found that the energy spectra widths (FWHM), relative yields at 12° and 40° and the Q_gg dependences of isotopic production cross sections differ considerably for stable, neutron-deficient and neutron-rich isotopes. This difference can be interpreted as being due to a contribution from secondary processes such as α-particle and nucléon evaporation from the excited ²²Ne and light transfer reaction products. The data obtained can be employed to choose optimal conditions for the detection of the extremely neutron-rich isotopes of light elements produced in multinucleon transfer reactions.     

Fission in238U+238U collisions below the Coulomb barrier

Integral fission cross sections in the system²³⁸U+²³⁸U were measured at beam energies below the interaction barrierV _C. Scattering angle dependent probabilities and integral cross sections for Coulomb fission were calculated. It is concluded that earlier observed discrepancies between measured and calculated angular distributions for the one-neutron transfer product²³⁹U cannot be explained by sequential fission. Multi-nucleon transfer induced fission is observed down to energies (0.90±0.02)×V_C.     

Large contribution of deep inelastic processes to reactions of40Ar and48Ca with238U

Differential recoil range distributions have been measured for heavy-reaction products ranging from Te(Z=52) to quasielastic transfer products near the charge and mass of the targets for the reactions of 276 MeV⁴⁸Ca+²³⁸U, 237MeV and 250 MeV⁴⁰Ar+²³⁸U, and 259 MeV⁴⁰Ar+¹⁹⁷Au. The measured recoil range distributions for the⁴⁰Ar+¹⁹⁷Au reaction agree with range distributions calculated from the known projectile-like fragment angular distributions for this reaction. The angular distributions of recoil products formed in the uranium target reactions are deduced and show that the products in the₇₅Re to₈₃Bi region have backward peaked angular distributions characteristic of deep inelastic reactions. The heavy product angular distributions smoothly vary from a (1/sinθ) shape to an exponential shaped backward peak as the atomic number of the product increases from 52 to 83. The trend in the deduced angular distributions for those elements for which recoil range distributions were determined in the⁴⁰Ar+¹⁹⁷Au reaction and the 250 MeV⁴⁰Ar+²³⁸U reaction is similar, suggesting that just as for the Ar+Au system the composite system for the uranium target reaction is also not fully equilibrated along the mass asymmetry coordinate. These conclusions show that the fraction of the total reaction cross section resulting in complete fusion must be re-evaluated for the⁴⁰Ar+²³⁸U reaction and similar heavy-target reactions.     

Quasielastic transfer reactions in 238U + 197Au and 197Au + 197Au collisions near the Coulomb barrier

Differential cross sections as a function of cm angle were measured for 1n- and 2n-transfer reactions in ²³⁸U + ¹⁹⁷ Au and¹⁹⁷ Au + ¹⁹⁷ Au collisions in the energy range from 0.881 V_c to 1.093 V_c and 0.825 V_c to 0.964 V_c, respectively. For ¹⁹⁸Au and ¹⁹⁹Au from the ²³⁸U + ¹⁹⁷Au collisions, for reduced distances of closest approach d _o 1.55 fm, the angular distributions at all bombarding energies are well described by the semiclassical theory. Equivalently, the transfer probabilities show the expected exponential decrease with increasing d _o over many orders of magnitude. For all other transfer products from ²³⁸U + ¹⁹⁷Au collisions, and for all transfer products from ¹⁹⁷Au + ¹⁹⁷Au collisions, markedly reduced cross sections relative to the semiclassical theory are observed for central collisions at all bombarding energies, even for values of d _o that are well outside the region where absorption is known to set in. Only for the more peripheral collisions, one observes agreement of the angular distributions (transfer probabilities) with the semiclassical expectations. The deviations for central collisions are absent for reactions with positive Q _gg values and scale roughly with increasingly negative values of Q _gg, i.e. with increasing Q-value mismatch. Channel coupling is proposed as the relevant mechanism.     

Muon capture rates in233U,234U,235U,236U,238U,and237Np

The time spectra for muon induced fission of²³³U,²³⁴U,²³⁵U,²³⁶U,²³⁸U, and²³⁷Np were measured simultaneously, detecting both fragments in coincidence in a fast multi parallel plate avalanche detector. The observed mean lifetimes τ are 68.9 ± 0.3 ns, 70.6 ± 0.2 ns, 72.2 ±0.2 ns, 74.3 ± 0.3 ns, 77.0 ±0.4 ns, and 69.8 ±0.2 ns for the above isotopes, respectively. No second time component, tentatively ascribed to a possible fission isomer, was observed. The deduced total capture rates are compared with theoretical predictions.     

Fission and emission of H and He in the reactions of 215 MeV16O with181Ta,208Pb and238U

The reactions of 215 MeV¹⁶O with¹²C,¹⁸¹Ta,²⁰⁸Pb and²³⁸U have been studied. Inclusive measurements for⁴He emission are given from each target, and for fission and^1,2,3H from Ta, Pb and U. For H/He a high-energy, forward-peaked component is observed with characteristics similar to those reported by others. At backward angles a low-energy, nearly-isotropic component is also observed for⁴He that cannot be accounted for by emission from fully accelerated fission products. The spectral shapes for this evaporative component are compared with statistical model calculations, and information is obtained concerning the effective barriers to emission. For the reactions of¹⁶O with¹²C, complete fusion seems to be overwhelmed by incomplete fusion. Fission angular distributions and cross sections are also presented and discussed.     

Master index

Alpha-transfer reactions between ¹⁶O and ^{16, 17, 18}O isotopes have been measured at E_c.m. ≈ 17 MeV. The cross sections are analyzed by assuming a cluster transfer within the DWBA. The good qualitative agreement between the experimental and the calculated results, support the assumption that these reactions proceed via a direct cluster-transfer process. The interference between the possible processes which lead to the final products determine the observed structure in the cross sections.     

The reaction mechanism in the system132Xe+56Fe at 5.73 MeV/u: Evidence for a new type of strongly damped collisions

We present data for the¹³²Xe+⁵⁶Fe-system at 5.73 MeV/u laboratory energy. Due to inverted kinematics, where Xe is the projectile, we were able to measure energy spectra as well as angular distributions for reaction products with 20≦Z≦60 with unitZ-resolution; i.e. target- and projectile-like fragments have been investigated. The reaction shows a well focussed quasielastic component, where charge transfer from the light to the heavy collision partner dominates. This apparent tendency towards more asymmetric fragmentation is explained by a potential energy surface which favours such charge transfer in order to minimize the asymmetry energy of the liquid drop. The strongly damped component which constitutes the major part of the reaction cross section exhibits characteristics of a fusion-fission reaction with typical fission fragment kinetic energies and 1/sinΘ _c.m. angular distributions. The maximum cross section is found for the symmetric fragmentation, no clear indication is observed for a diffusion process leading to target- and projectile-like fragments. Our data are difficult to reconcile either with the standard diffusion models or with an equilibrated compound nucleus fission picture. We tentatively conclude that an essential part of the fully damped cross section originates from partial waves for which the compound nucleus has no fission barrier.     

Excitation functions for complete fusion and transfer reactions in the interaction of 6He with 197Au nuclei

The excitation functions for the fusion reactions with subsequent neutron evaporation, ¹⁹⁷Au(⁶He, xn)^{203 ? xn}Tl (x = 2?7), and the neutron transfer reactions with production of the ¹⁹⁶Au and ¹⁹⁸Au isotopes have been measured. Unusually high cross section of the ¹⁹⁸Au isotope production at energies below the Coulomb barrier has been observed. Possible mechanisms of production and decay of the transfer reaction products are considered.     

Recoil study of multinucleon transfer reactions: Capture of six charges by Nd targets in Ar induced reactions

Multinucleon transfer reactions induced with Ar ions and involving the capture of six charges by the target have been studied. The targets were all the separated isotopes of Nd, and the observed nuclei were ^149gTb, ¹⁵⁰Dy, ¹⁵¹Dy. The experimental technique involved the measurement of the cross sections, angular distributions, and recoil range at each recoil angle, of the heavy residual nuclei. After transformation of the data into the c.m. system, the angular distributions appear to be peaked backwards, close to 180°. This observation suggests that the present reactions are of the same type as the multinucleon transfer reactions studied by other authors for which the angular distribution of the light fragment was peaked forward in the c.m. system. The energy distributions in the c.m. system were used to check the feasibility of various mechanisms which could lead to the production of the observed isotopes. Each mechanism was supposed to be a two-step process: the first step was the exchange, from the projectile to the target, of a number n of nucléons, leading to an excited intermediate nucleus, and the second step the deexcitation of the intermediate nucleus by nuclear evaporation. This analysis indicates that the most probable mechanisms correspond to n close to 12 (6 protons and 6 neutrons), and to an excitation energy of about 60 MeV for the intermediate nucleus. The distribution of cross sections versus the number of nucléons gained by the target is also in accord with this reaction model.     

Nucleon transfer in highly mass-asymmetric reaction systems between197au and relatively light projectiles in the energy region below 10 MeV/u

Mechanisms of heavy-ion induced nuclear reactions in mass-asymmetric systems were studied by focusing on the nucleon transfer reaction. Excitation functions and projected mean recoil ranges for the target-like products in³⁷-,¹⁶O-,¹⁴N-, and¹²C-induced reactions on¹⁹⁷Au were measured by means ofγ-ray spectrometry. The energy range studied was near the Coulomb barrier of the systems with incident energies below 10 MeV/u. Nucleon transfer reactions were discussed by distinguishing the products from quasi-elastic transfer (QET) and those from deep inelastic transfer (DIT). The tendency towards equilibration of theN/Z value and the energy damping, which are the characteristic features of DIT, were found in the production of Au isotopes. Observations are consistent with the generally accepted concept that QET takes place along a trajectory near the Coulomb trajectory. QET was made to be connected with the interaction radius and most of the cross section ratios were reproduced well by an extended tunneling model.     

Sub-Coulomb transfer and fission in collisions of129Xe,132Xe and136Xe with238U

Integral cross sections for fission and for one- and two-neutron transfer reactions in the system¹³²Xe+²³⁸U were measured radiochemically in the energy range 0.7≦E/E _Coul≦1. The excitation functions for fission and transfer are found to be essentially parallel below 0.85×E _Coul. Even at the lowest energies the transfer cross sections exceed the fission cross section by more than one order of magnitude. With the other projectiles¹²⁹Xe and¹³⁶Xe different transfer cross sections illustrating their sensitivity for the ground stateQ-values,Q _gg , are observed while the fission cross sections are the same as in the¹³²Xe +²³⁸U reaction. The fission data are interpreted in terms of a continuous transition between Coulomb fission and several transfer-induced fission processes.     

Transfer reactions induced by 17, 18O on 12, 13C at c.m. energies between 12.6 TO 14.0 MeV

Angular distributions for one-neutron and many-nucleon transfer reactions were measured in the systems ^{17, 18}O and ^{12, 13}C at c.m. energies between 12.6 to 14.0 MeV. All the cross sections were analyzed in terms of the full-recoil finite-range DWBA model. For multi-nucleon transfer processes an inert cluster transfer was assumed. The sensitivity of DWBA calculations to various parameter sets is discussed, and the effect of the no-recoil approximation on the phase and magnitude of the transfer amplitude is studied. For one-neutron transfer reactions the forward part of the angular distributions was reproduced reasonably well by the DWBA model, yielding satisfactory spectroscopic information. The rise of the cross section at the backward angles was not reproduced by the DWBA model. Possible contributions of cluster-exchange and compound-nucleus reactions are discussed. For multi-nucleon transfer reactions poorer fits were obtained, particularly in the ¹⁸O+¹²C system.     

Probing the structure of exotic nuclei by transfer reactions

Low energy single nucleon transfer reactions are proposed as a tool to investigate the structure of nuclei far off stability. Experimental concepts and conditions are discussed, in particular high resolution γ-ray spectroscopy after single nucleon pickup reactions. Nuclear structure is described by Skyrme Hartree-Fock calculations including pairing. As representative examples, binding energies, radii and wave functions for Mg and Sn isotopes are calculated. In the neutron deficient Mg isotopes a proton skin is found. At the neutron driplines the Mg and Sn isotopes develop extended neutron skins. The nuclear structure results are used in DWBA and EFR-DWBA transfer calculations. Single nucleon transfer reactions of ^32,36Mg and exotic Sn beams on targets ranging from ²H to ²⁴Mg in inverse kinematics are explored. The one-nucleon transfer cross sections decrease strongly for high-Z targets. An impact parameter analysis shows that the transfer process is selective on the tails of the wave functions. The largest cross sections are obtained for ²H and ⁹Be targets at incident energies of E _lab = 2-5 MeV/u. The energy-momentum dependence is closely related to the special properties of wave functions of weakly bound states. Two-neutron (p,t) stripping reactions are studied for a ⁶He projectile. A strong competition of sequential and direct processes is found at low energies. Received: 1 October 1997 / Revised version: 25 November 1997