Deep inelastic transfer reactions — The new type of reactions between complex nuclei

Abstract

The review deals with a new type of nuclear reaction, deep inelastic transfe, which occurs in collisions of two complex nuclei. The following experimental features of the new reaction are discussed: (1) intense dissipation of collision kinetic energy, (2) anisotropic angular distributions of the reaction products, (3) broad charge and mass distributions of the products, (4) regularities of the cross sections of reaction exit channels, (5) the neutron-to-proton ratio of the products, and (6) the two-body character of the reaction mechanism. Special emphasis is laid on the impossibility of interpreting these features in terms of direct reactions and compound-nucleus decay. The concept of a double nuclear system formed in deep inelastic collisions of complex nuclei is introduced and grounded. The experimental features of deep inelastic transfers are interpreted in terms of this concept. The experimental techniques used to study deep inelastic transfers and the main approaches to their theoretical analysis are briefly summarized. The possible uses of the new type of reaction to investigate the processes of compound nucleus formation, production of the isotopes of light elements far from the region of β-stability, production of heavy isotopes of transfermium elements and fast-rotating nuclei with fixed spin orientation in space are considered.