Study of the violent collisions between63Cu+232Th at 35 MeV/nucleon

Abstract

A study of the decay of hot and heavy composite nuclei produced in the violent collisions between {sup 63}Cu and {sup 232}Th at 35A MeV is presented. The measurement of fission fragment correlations indicates that {approximately} 70{percent} of the projectile linear momentum can be transferred to the fissioning system. Heavy reaction products were observed at a laboratory angle of {theta}=6{degree} in coincidence with neutrons, light charged particles, and intermediate mass fragments. The dynamical aspects of the collisions between the projectile and target nuclei were investigated using the computer code CHIMERA which is based upon the molecular dynamics concept. Asymptotic characteristics of the reaction products were confronted with results of calculations of the tandem CHIMERA plus GEMINI codes. The data and model comparisons show that a composite system of mass as high as 275 amu and with an excitation energy {approximately} 1 GeV is formed in the most violent collisions. Some of the heavy reaction remnants are located on the fragment mass versus velocity plane inside the area where the evaporation residues resulting from the decay of the hot composite system are expected. A high neutron multiplicity associated with these events indicates their origin in the most dissipative events. However, amore » low cross section for the production of these remnants and the close similarity of their characteristics to the fission fragments do not allow more conclusive statements. {copyright} {ital 1997} {ital The American Physical Society}« less