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Title: Angular-momentum limitations in heavy ion-induced fusion reactions leading to sup 40 Ca and sup 42 Ca

Thesis/Dissertation ·
OSTI ID:6998421

Cross sections for the fusion of {sup 28}Si + {sup 12}C from 4.6 to 9.4 MeV/nucleon and {sup 30}Si + {sup 12}C from 5.2 to 8.3 MeV/nucleon have been measured. The bombarding energy covered in these experiments extends from the intermediate to high energy regimes of the fusion excitation function where the fusion cross section is known for most heavy ion-induced reactions to be decreasing. The decrease in the high energy fusion cross section is understood to be caused by a limitation imposed on the fusing system by the maximum angular momentum (l{sub cr}) the system can sustain. The mechanisms which determine the l{sub cr} for a particular projectile-target combination, or entrance channel, are however, not understood. It has been found that the characteristics of the entrance channel, rather than those of the compound nuclei {sup 40}Ca and {sup 42}Ca, determine the l{sub cr} for the {sup 28}Si + {sup 12}C and {sup 30}Si + {sup 12}C systems, respectively. The experiments were carried out with the time of flight apparatus at the Holifield Heavy Ion Research Facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Beams of {sup 28}Si and {sup 30}Si ions were used to bombard {sup 12}C targets and complete or partial angular distributions for the heavy reaction products with atomic numbers from 24 to 40 were obtained at 6.4, 7.8, and 9.4 MeV/nucleon for {sup 28}Si + {sup 12}C and 5.2, 5.7, 6.4, 7.5, and 8.3 MeV/nucleon for {sup 30}Si + {sup 12}C. Charge and mass identification, combined with a kinematic analysis of the velocity distributions for individual isotopes, allowed separation of the yields from compound nucleus evaporation residues and nonfusion processes.

Research Organization:
Virginia Univ., Charlottesville, VA (USA)
OSTI ID:
6998421
Resource Relation:
Other Information: Thesis (Ph. D.)
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English