Deuteron break-up in the fields of nuclei at 56 MeV

Abstract

Abstract Proton continuum spectra induced by 56 MeV deuterons have been measured for 14 elements ranging from 12C to 209Bi. Each spectrum shows a prominent bump at forward angles due to the break-up of the incident deuteron. The peak energy of the bump is about half the deuteron energy for light elements and increases slightly for heavier elements. Projectile break-up calculations reproduce well the spectral shapes and the angular dependence of the bump spectra. The characteristics of the bump spectra are determined by the proton momentum distribution in the deuteron. The break-up cross section increases with target mass and is nearly proportional to ( A 1 3 + 0.8) 2 . The target mass dependence indicates that all partial waves smaller than the grazing angular momentum contribute to the deuteron break-up cross section at this energy. The total break-up cross section amounts to 24–35% of the deuteron total reaction cross section.