Calibration of Pulse-Shape Discriminating NaI(Tl) Detectors

This research was sponsored by the National Science Foundation Grant NSF PHY 87-1440

Projectilelike fragments from N14 beams at 15, 25, and 35 MeV/nucleon

Momentum distributions of projectilelike fragments produced in the interaction of 15, 25, and 35 MeV/nucleon N14 beams on targets of C12, Mg24, Al27, Ti48, and Ni58 have been measured. Widths and centroids of the quasielastic component of the distributions have been extracted for fragments ranging from He4 to N13. The widths are compared with published data and several theoretical predictions. The Friedman model correctly predicts the charge and isotope dependence of the widths at the highest beam energy. At 15 MeV/nucleon some deviations from the trend of the published data suggest the possibility of a different reaction mechanism for the projectile-target combinations studied in the present work

Binary decay of Ni56 formed in the 32S+24Mg reaction

Fully energy-damped yields from the Mg32 reaction have been measured at center-of-mass energies of Ec.m.=51.6 and 60.5 MeV with the use of an experimental arrangement where both of the resulting heavy fragments could be detected in coincidence. Energy, velocity, and angular distributions of the reaction fragments have been determined. The cross sections prior to secondary light-particle emission have been deduced for the breakup of the compound system into different mass channels. These data are discussed in terms of two possible reaction mechanisms: fusion followed by fission and deep-inelastic orbiting

Elastic scattering and breakup of 17^F at 10 MeV/nucleon

Angular distributions of fluorine and oxygen produced from 170 MeV 17^F incident on 208^Pb were measured. The elastic scattering data are in good agreement with optical model calculations using a double-folding potential and parameters similar to those obtained from 16^O+208^Pb. A large yield of oxygen was observed near \theta_lab=36 deg. It is reproduced fairly well by a calculation of the (17^F,16^O) breakup, which is dominated by one-proton stripping reactions. The discrepancy between our previous coincidence measurement and theoretical predictions was resolved by including core absorption in the present calculation.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figure

C10 and 11B+ 12C reactions from 4 to 9 MeV/nucleon

Reaction products arising from the interaction of 11B+ 12C and 10B+ 13C have been studied in the energy range 4<Elab(B)<9 MeV/nucleon. From the total fusion cross sections for the two entrance channels, the critical angular momenta have been extracted and then compared as a function of compound nucleus excitation energy. Even though a limitation in the fusion cross section was observed, no common limitation was found in the critical angular momenta for these two systems up to at least a Na23 excitation energy of 60 MeV. Above this excitation energy, the experimental uncertainties make this point less clear. Up to an excitation energy of 60 MeV in Na23, a fusion limitation based on reaching a critical density of compound nucleus states like the yrast or ''statistical'' yrast line cannot be responsible for the fusion cross section limitations observed for these entrance channels. The present data suggest that competing entrance channel processes are responsible for the observed fusion cross section limitations

Fusion of O16 + Ca40 at Elab(16O)=13.4 MeV/nucleon

Mass and velocity distributions have been measured for the evaporation residue and fusion-fission products from the O16+40Ca reaction at 214 MeV. Comparisons of Monte Carlo statistical evaporation simulations to the observed angle and mass dependences of the evaporation-residue velocity distributions were used to set limits on the maximum complete-fusion cross section and to extract information about the magnitude and character of incomplete-fusion processes. The extracted value of the complete fusion evaporation-residue cross section is discussed in the framework of previous results and existing models

Additional evidence for fusion-fission in S32+24Mg reactions: Division of excitation energy and spin in the fission fragments

We have measured rays in coincidence with C12 fragments from the fission of Ni56 produced with the S32+24Mg reaction at Elab=140 MeV. These data provide insight into the fission process in this light system by giving information about the energy and spin sharing between the C12 and Ti44 fragments, and the spin alignment of the lighter, C12 fragment. The spin transfer and the nuclear temperature at scission deduced from this measurement can be related to the compound-nucleus spin and potential energy at scission. The results indicate a statistical decay process consistent with the predictions of the transition-state model employing newer estimates of the spin- and mass-asymmetry-dependent saddle-point energies and corresponding shapes. No evidence is found for the spin alignment of the C12 fragments, contrary to what might be expected for a deep-inelastic scattering origin of the fully energy damped yields

Asymmetric fission of Ni56

Cross sections for the two-body channels populated in the S32+Mg24 reaction at Ec.m.=60.8 MeV have been measured by use of a coincidence technique which allows correction for secondary light-particle evaporation. The data show reaction yields with full equilibration of energy and mass-asymmetry coordinates. These results suggest an asymmetric fission mechanism and are contrary to what is expected from the previously proposed "orbiting" mechanism in light systems

Sub- and above barrier fusion of loosely bound 6^6Li with 28^{28}Si

Fusion excitation functions are measured for the system $^6$Li+$^{28}$Si using the characteristic $\gamma$-ray method, encompassing both the sub-barrier and above barrier regions, viz., $E_{lab}$= 7-24 MeV. Two separate experiments were performed, one for the above barrier region ($E_{lab}$= 11-24 MeV) and another for the below barrier region ($E_{lab}$= 7-10 MeV). The results were compared with our previously measured fusion cross section for the $^7$Li+$^{28}$Si system. We observed enhancement of fusion cross section at sub-barrier regions for both $^6$Li and $^7$Li, but yield was substantially larger for $^6$Li. However, for well above barrier regions, similar type of suppression was identified for both the systems.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, as accepted for publication in Eur.Phys.J.

The systematic study of the influence of neutron excess on the fusion cross sections using different proximity-type potentials

Using different types of proximity potentials, we have examined the trend of variations of barrier characteristics (barrier height and its position) as well as fusion cross sections for 50 isotopic systems including various collisions of C, O, Mg, Si, S, Ca, Ar, Ti and Ni nuclei with $1\leq N/Z < 1.6$ condition for compound systems. The results of our studies reveal that the relationships between increase of barrier positions and decrease of barrier heights are both linear with increase of $N/Z$ ratio. Moreover, fusion cross sections also enhance linearly with increase of this ratio.Comment: 28 pages, 7 figures, 5 Table