Production cross sections and angular distributions of neutron-rich rare isotopes from 15 MeV/nucleon Kr-induced collisions: toward the r-process path

TL;DR

This study investigates neutron-rich isotope production via heavy-ion collisions at 15 MeV/nucleon, comparing experimental data with models, and explores the creation of isotopes relevant to the astrophysical r-process.

Contribution

It introduces a combined modeling approach using DIT or CoMD with SMM to accurately describe fragment production in heavy-ion collisions at low energies.

Findings

Models agree well with experimental data on cross sections and angular distributions.

Multinucleon transfer can produce extremely neutron-rich isotopes near the r-process path.

Radioactive beams enhance production of neutron-rich nuclides beyond stable isotopes.

Abstract

We present our recent study of cross sections and angular distributions of projectile fragments from heavy-ion reactions at beam energy of 15 MeV/nucleon. We studied the production cross sections and the angular distributions of neutron-rich nuclides from collisions of a 86 Kr (15 MeV/nucleon) beam with heavy targets ( 64 Ni, 124 Sn and 238 U). Experimental data from our previous work at Texas A & M were compared with model calculations. Our calculations were based on a two-step approach: the dynamical stage of the collision was described with, first, the phenomenological Deep-Inelastic Transfer model (DIT) and, alternatively, with the microscopic Constrained Molecular Dynamics model (CoMD). The de-excitation of the hot heavy projectile fragments was performed with the Statistical Multifragmentation Model (SMM). An overall good discription of the available data was obtained with the models employed. Furthermore, we performed calculations with a radioactive beam of 92 Kr (15 MeV/nucleon) interacting with a target of 238 U. We observed that the multinucleon transfer mechanism leads to extremely neutron-rich nuclides toward and beyond the astrophysical r-process path.