Hyperdeformed band in 36Ar populated in the 12C + 24Mg elastic scattering

Abstract

The strongly oscillating angular distributions of the elastic scattering of 12C + 24Mg at energies around the Coulomb barrier (Ecm = 10.67 − 16.00 MeV) [1] were reproduced adding three Breit-Wigner resonance terms with J values of 6, 7 and 8 h respectively to the l = 6, 7 and 8 terms of the elastic S-matrix. The elastic scattering S-matrix was calculated using the double folding, deep, optical potential with non-local interaction, also called, Sao Paulo Potential [2]. All fifteen angular distributions could be well reproduced by the 3 resonances, located respectively at Ecm = 14.15, 15.8 and 16.9 MeV in the entrance channel, which correspond to excitation energies of 30.45, 32.1 and 33.2 MeV in the 36Ar compound nucleus. The J = 6, 7 and 8 h resonances fit well into a rotational molecular band, together with the J = 18, 20, 22 and 24 h resonances observed in the 16O + 20Ne elastic scattering [3]. The band head is at 29.5 MeV excitation energy in the 36Ar compound nucleus and has a large moment of inertia indicating a large deformation. Calculations of Rae and Merchant [4] propose the existence of a hyperdeformed band in 36Ar with 12C + 24Mg and 16O + 20Ne cluster structure.