Reconstructing breakup at sub-barrier energies

Department of Nuclear Physics, Research School of Physics and Engineering, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 0200, Australia

^a e-mail: huy.luongeanu.edu.au

Abstract

Using a position sensitive detector array, back-angle coincidence measurements of breakup fragments at sub-barrier energies has enabled the complete characterisation of the breakup processes in the reactions of ^6,7Liw ith ²⁰⁸PbB. reakup processes and their time-scales are identified through the reaction Q-values and the relative energy of the captured breakup fragments. The majority of breakup processes fast enough (~10^-22s) to affect fusion are triggered by transfer of a neutron from ⁶Li, and of a proton to ⁷Li. These breakup mechanisms should therefore have a major contribution to the ~30% suppression of complete fusion observed at above-barrier energies.