Evidence for spin fluctuations in the deep-inelastic reaction 165Ho + 165Ho at 8.5 MeVamu

Both the magnitude and alignment of the transferred angular momentum in the reaction ¹⁶⁵Ho + ¹⁶⁵Ho have been measured as a function of Q-value via continuum γ-ray multiplicity and anisotropy techniques. The spin transfer and the continuum γ-ray anisotropy increase throughout the quasi-elastic region. The spin transfer as a function of Q-value saturates at ~ 35?/fragment, the anisotropy peaks at a value of ~2 and then decreases to near unity for the largest Q-values. The observed anisotropies are in good agreement with predictions from an equilibrium statistical model in which thermal excitation of angular-momentum-bearing collective modes and neutron evaporation give rise to in-plane components of the angular momentum.