Disentangling the role of vibration, rotation, and neutron transfer in the fusion of neutron-rich mid-mass nuclei

TL;DR

This study measures fusion cross-sections for neutron-rich and stable potassium isotopes with silicon, revealing significantly higher fusion probability for neutron-rich systems at near-barrier energies, and compares results with theoretical models.

Contribution

First experimental measurement of fusion excitation functions for neutron-rich $^{47}$K + $^{28}$Si, highlighting the impact of neutron richness on fusion cross-sections.

Findings

Neutron-rich $^{47}$K fusion cross-section is ~6 times larger than stable $^{39}$K at low energies.

Experimental results align with dynamical deformation and coupled channels models.

Neutron transfer and nuclear structure influence fusion probabilities.

Abstract

We report the first measurement of the fusion excitation functions for $^{39,47}$K + $^{28}$Si at near-barrier energies. Evaporation residues resulting from the fusion process were identified by direct measurement of their energy and time-of-flight with high geometric efficiency. At the lowest incident energy, the cross-section measured for the neutron-rich $^{47}$K induced reaction is ~6 times larger than that of the $\beta$-stable system. The experimental data are compared with both a dynamical deformation model and coupled channels calculations (CCFULL).