Abstract
We have studied the mass and energy distributions of fission fragments from the two reactions and that lead to the same compound nucleus Despite the fact that the excitation energy was around 40 MeV in both cases, the contribution from asymmetric fission in the first reaction is only around 1.5% but is about 30% in the second. This marked increase in the yield of asymmetric products is connected to the quasifission process, in which important shell effects become evident. The mass-energy distributions are interpreted in terms of an independent decay mode competing with the normal fusion-fission process and possibly leading to a significant suppression of the fusion cross section itself.
- Received 19 July 2002
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.67.011603
©2003 American Physical Society