Nuclear activation studies of heavy ion reactions

The identification of the residues which are produced in a nuclear interaction, and the measurement of their recoil range and angular distribution provides useful information on the reaction mechanism. If the residues are radioactive this information may be easily obtained by measuring off beam the activity they induce both in the target and a suitable set of catchers. This experimental technique is discussed together with the results of a systematic study of the interaction of 12C and 16O ions with heavy nuclei at low incident energies. (author)