Fusion reactions with the one-neutron halo nucleus¹⁵C

Abstract

Abstract.We have for the first time studied the fusion-fission excitation functions for the systems 14,15 C + 232 Th at energies in the vicinity of the Coulomb barrier. At energies below the barrier, the fusion cross section of the halo nucleus 15 C showed an enhancement by a factor of 2-5, while the fusion cross section for 14 C shows a similar trend to that of 12,13 C.

Targeting a Nuclear Halo

“…Beams of carbon-15 nuclei, for example, have been generated and fired into thorium-232 targets. The outputs suggest that carbon-15 is 2-5 times more likely to fuse with thorium than carbon-14 at energies below the electrostatic Credit: APS/Alan Stonebraker (Coulomb) barrier [2].…”