Sub-barrier fusion hindrance and absence of neutron transfer channels

Abstract

The sub-barrier fusion hindrance has been observed in the domain of very low energies of astrophysical relevance. The measured fusion cross sections can be well estimated by using formula obtained by folding a Gaussian function for barrier height distribution with the expression for classical fusion cross section for fixed barrier. The parameters of the formula vary smoothly implying its usage in estimating the excitation function. In the present work, the effects of deformation and transfer on fusion reactions have been studied and the absence of neutron transfer channels has been correlated to the hindrance in heavy-ion fusion reactions.