On the time-scale of quasifission and Coulomb fission

Abstract

The Coulomb fission may take place in a reaction if the maximum Coulomb excitation energy transfer exceeds the fission barrier of either the projectile or the target nucleus. This condition is satisfied in all the reactions used for the earlier blocking measurements of fission time-scale except for the reaction \(^{208}\hbox {Pb}~+\) natural Ge crystal, where the time-scale is below the measurement limit of the blocking technique \(<1\) as. Inclusion of Coulomb fission in the data analysis of the blocking experiments leads us to interpret the measured time-scales longer than a few attoseconds (as) (about 1–2.2 as) due to slow Coulomb fission and those shorter than 1 as, as due to quasifission and fast Coulomb fission. Consequently, this finding resolves the critical discrepancies between the fission time-scales measured using the nuclear and blocking techniques. This, in turn, validates the fact that the quasifission and fast Coulomb fission time-scales are indeed of the order of zeptosecond (zs) in accordance with the nuclear experiments and theories. The present results thus provide an essential input to the understanding of the fusion evaporation reaction during the formation of heavy elements.