Break-up mechanisms in heavy ion collisions at low energies

TL;DR

This paper studies the mechanisms of fusion and break-up in low-energy heavy ion collisions, using a Langevin model to predict probabilities and cross sections based on shape, angular momentum, and energy.

Contribution

It introduces a Langevin-based dynamical model to analyze the competition between fusion and break-up processes in semi-peripheral heavy ion collisions.

Findings

Fusion and break-up probabilities depend on shape and angular momentum.

Cross sections vary with excitation energy and system configuration.

The model provides insights into reaction mechanisms at low energies.

Abstract

We investigate reaction mechanisms occurring in heavy ion collisions at low energy (around 20 MeV/u). In particular, we focus on the competition between fusion and break-up processes (Deep-Inelastic and fragmentation) in semi-peripheral collisions, where the formation of excited systems in various conditions of shape and angular momentum is observed. Adopting a Langevin treatment for the dynamical evolution of the system configuration, described in terms of shape observables such as quadrupole and octupole moments, we derive fusion/fission probabilities, from which one can finally evaluate the corresponding fusion and break-up cross sections. The dependence of the results on shape, angular momentum and excitation energy is discussed.