Abstract
Publisher Summary This chapter presents a comparative study of measured fusion excitation functions in the vicinity of the barrier revealing the nuclear structure effects as a result of the coupling of the fusion process to direct-reaction channels. The chapter presents an analogy: if two water drops are brought close to each other, they will merge spontaneously as soon as contact is established. The driving force is the tendency to diminish the total surface energy. The fusion probability will be the probability of establishing contact. Limitations to the analogy with the fusion of water drops are realized. The exact location of the contact point at which fusion is started spontaneously and the finite time it takes to establish this contact are no longer trivial because the ratio of the attractive-force range to typical radii—while smaller than one—is much larger than for water drops.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
