Potential surfaces in symmetric heavy-ion reactions

The entrance channel in symmetric heavy-ion reactions is studied in the liquid-drop model approach including the nuclear proximity energy and allowing ellipsoidal deformations of the colliding nuclei. In the whole mass range a sudden transition occurs from oblate to prolate shapes when the proximity forces become important. This strongly affects the effective moment of inertia. The ellipsoidal deformations reduce the fusion barrier width for light systems and lower the potential barrier height for medium and heavy nuclei. The results are in agreement with the empirical effective barrier shift determined by Aguiar et al for the 58Ni + 58Ni, 74Ge + 74Ge and 80Se + 80Se systems. The sub-barrier fusion enhancement in heavy-ion reactions might be explained by the slowness of the process. Below the static fusion barrier, the reaction time is long; allowing some adiabaticity and deformations of the colliding ions. Above the barrier, the reaction is more sudden and the deformation degree of freedom is frozen