Nuclear structure dependence of fusion hindrance in heavy element synthesis

J. Khuyagbaatar, H. M. David, D. J. Hinde, I. P. Carter, K. J. Cook, M. Dasgupta, Ch E. Düllmann, D. Y. Jeung, B. Kindler, B. Lommel, D. H. Luong, E. Prasad, D. C. Rafferty, C. Sengupta, C. Simenel, E. C. Simpson, J. F. Smith, K. Vo-Phuoc, J. Walshe, A. WakhleE. Williams, A. Yakushev

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    17 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    The production of the heaviest elements in fusion-evaporation reactions is substantially limited by very low cross sections, as fusion cross sections (including fusion-fission) are greatly reduced by the competing quasifission mechanism. Using the Australian National University Heavy Ion Accelerator Facility and CUBE detector array, fission fragments from the Ti48+Pb204,208 and Ti50+Pb206,208 reactions have been measured, with the aim to investigate how the competition between quasifission and fusion-fission evolves with small changes in entrance-channel properties associated mainly with the nuclear structure. Analysis of mass-distribution widths of strongly mass-angle-correlated fission fragments within the framework of the compound-nucleus fission theory demonstrates significant differences in quasifission (and therefore fusion) probabilities among the four reactions. The impact of nuclear structure on fusion highlights the importance of future radioactive beams.

    Original languageEnglish
    Article number064618
    JournalPhysical Review C
    Volume97
    Issue number6
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 28 Jun 2018

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