Interactions of Relativistic $^6$Li Nuclei with Photoemulsion Nuclei

TL;DR

This study investigates the inelastic interactions of relativistic $^6$Li nuclei with photoemulsion nuclei, revealing features of fragmentation, cluster structure, and dissociation channels that highlight the nucleus's loosely bound nature.

Contribution

It provides detailed measurements of $^6$Li interactions, including fragmentation patterns and cluster dissociation channels, demonstrating the nucleus's cluster structure in high-energy collisions.

Findings

Measured mean ranges and multiplicities of secondaries.

Observed coherent dissociation into cluster fragments.

Identified the loosely bound $ ext{alpha}$-deuteron structure.

Abstract

Inelastic interactions of nuclei accelerated to a momentum of 4.5 GeV/$c$ per projectile nucleon with photoemulsion nuclei have been investigated. The main features of these interactions - mean ranges of $^6$Li nuclei, mean multiplicities of secondaries, the isotopic composition of fragments, fragmentation channels, and the mean transverse momenta of projectile fragments - have been measured. The probability of the charge-exchange reaction featuring lithium nuclei has been determined. The results obtained for the $^6$Li nucleus have been compared with data for other nuclei. The observed features of $^6$Li interactions with other nuclei indicate that the $^6$Li structure in the form of the loosely bound system consisting of an $\alpha$-particle and a deuteron cluster clearly manifests itself in these interactions. Events resulting in the coherent dissociation of $^6$Li nuclei into $^4$He+$d$, $^3$He+$t$, and $t+d+p$ and involving low-lying excitations of $^6$Li have been observed.