Continuum Effects and the Trojan Horse Mechanism in Halo Nuclei-Induced Reactions: Implications for Heavy Isotope Synthesis

TL;DR

This study investigates nonelastic breakup reactions induced by halo nucleus $^{11}$Be, finding continuum effects negligible and highlighting the potential of halo nuclei in the Trojan Horse Method to enhance heavy isotope synthesis.

Contribution

The paper demonstrates that continuum effects are minimal in NEB reactions with halo nuclei and explores the use of halo nuclei in the Trojan Horse Method to improve heavy isotope production.

Findings

Continuum effects are negligible in NEB cross sections.

Ground-state contributions dominate NEB reactions.

Halo nuclei significantly enhance sub-barrier fusion cross sections.

Abstract

Nonelastic breakup (NEB) reactions induced by the halo nucleus $^{11}$Be on $^{64}$Zn at 28.7 MeV are investigated using the Ichimura-Austern-Vincent (IAV) model combined with the Continuum Discretized Coupled Channels (CDCC) method. NEB cross sections calculated with full CDCC wave functions (including continuum states), ground-state-only CDCC wave functions, and single-channel calculations are compared. The results indicate that continuum effects are negligible and that NEB cross sections are dominated by the ground-state contribution. This validates the use of simpler models like the distorted wave Born approximation for such reactions. Additionally, by varying the binding energy in a toy model, the feasibility of using halo nuclei in the Trojan Horse Method (THM) for synthesizing heavy isotopes is explored. It is demonstrated that THM significantly enhances sub-barrier fusion cross sections due to the weak binding of halo nuclei, offering a promising approach for the synthesis of new elements.