Gamma-ray multiplicity measurements and angular momentum transfer in deeply inelastic collisions

In DIC, the part of the initial orbital angular momentum l which is transferred into internal angular momenta Δl of the fragments depends on the degree of cohesion of the composite system. The (few) measured gamma-rays multiplicities are compared to those observed for similar compound nuclei and for fission fragments. Δl increases with the kinetic energy relaxation. For medium-mass systems, the cohesion varies continuously from the rolling to the sticking situation when the decay time of the composite system increases. The rigid body situation is obtained for a small part of the relaxed events. For heavy systems, rigid rotation seems to be much more common, which will allow to extract information on the deflection function. The time needed to reach the rigid situation is intermediate between those of kinetic energy relaxation and mass asymmetry relaxation. An additional angular momentum can be added in the fragments, due to a bending mode at the scission-point, like in fission. That can explain the observed low anisotropy of the gamma-rays angular distribution