Coincidence study of the deep inelastic collisions in the 40Ar + 58Ni system at 280 MeV

The binary character of the deep inelastic collisions observed in the reaction ⁵⁸Ni + ⁴⁰Ar at 280 MeV has been investigated. Two major fragments were detected in coincidence. The light fragment was identified both in mass (by the time of flight technique) and charge (using a ΔE-E telescope). Within the experimental uncertainties, the hypothesis of a binary process has been verified. More than 80% of the events correspond to a reaction mechanism where, apart from light particles, only two major fragments are observed in the exit channel. The deviation from an exactly binary process leads to an indirect measurement of the number of particles evaporated by the excited fragments. The total mass of the particles emitted by the light fragment alone is deduced. The results are suggestive of equal temperature for both light and heavy fragments. Finally, the total number of particles evaporated is estimated. The emission of α-particles is invoked in order to consistently explain the data.