Study of the nuclear reaction between iron and holmium

The nuclear system 165Ho + 56Fe was studied at a bombarding energy of E/sub lab/ = 462 MeV. The experimental Z distribution measured as a function of angle and energy are discussed. The integrated fragment Z distribution of the light reaction fragment is fairly broad and centered close to the charge of the projectile. The kinetic energy distribution extends from the quasi-elastic region down to energies smaller than the Coulomb energy of touching spherical nuclei. The angular distribution is peaked forward of the quarter-point angle and rises at small angles which is interpreted as due to orbiting. Correlations of observed fragment Z distributions with energy loss give an indication of the progress of the reaction. Charge distributions show an average drift towards larger asymmetry and an increase in width with increasing energy damping. Results are presented taking account of the Coulomb barrier for two choices of the scission radius. With the aid of a phenomenological description, the initial angular momenta l/sub i/ and interaction times are deduced. Interaction times are compared to other characteristic times for the reaction as a function of l. Results from a classical dynamical model using a proximity formalism and one-body transport are shown. Angular distributions for the production of fusion-fission fragments were measured at five bombarding energies between 320 to 510 MeV. Particle identification telescopes using ΔE and solid state E detectors were used to separate the fission-like fragments from damped reaction products. The excitation function for the fission-like products is compared to the fusion cross section derived from classical trajectory models. The models incorporate the one-body friction and a nuclear proximity potential derived from a Thomas-Fermi model with a limited maximum nuclear matter density