Determining the total fusion cross-section for 19,20O+12C near and below the Coulomb barrier
Résumé
The outer-crust of an accreting neutron star presents a unique environment for nuclear reactions to occur. In this environment, fusion of neutron-rich light nuclei has been proposed as a heat source to trigger fusion of 12C + 12C and a resulting X-ray superburst. To investigate this question an experimental program has been initiated to measure the fusion excitation function for 19,20O + 12C. The measurement relies on distinguishing evaporation residues following fusion from scattered beam by employing a time-of-flight measurement. The obstacles encountered in this type of measurement will be described and initial results will be presented. Comparison with the predictions of a density constrained TDHF model will be made.