Projectile breakup in 25 MeV/A reactions, prompt or sequential?

The breakup of the projectiles in the 25MeV/A reactions 16O + 159Tb and 28Si + 100Mo is studied using the Dwarf Ball/Wall 4π plastic-CsI array. The breakup of 16O into 4 α-particles is studied in detail and is shown to be a sequential process. The dynamics of the more complicated channels present in the reaction using the 28Si projectile are discussed. The division of excitation energy between the projectile and target is both deduced with the aid of two body kinematics and examined directly via the measured exclusive charged particle multiplicity. These exclusive charged particle data are also used to verify the projectile fragmentation process and discriminate against more complex transfer processes