Fusion enhancement at near and sub-barrier energies in ¹⁹O + ¹²C

Measuring the fusion excitation function for an isotopic chain of projectile nuclei provides a stringent test of a microscopic description of fusion. We report the first measurement of the fusion excitation function at near-barrier energies for the ¹⁹O + ¹²C system. The measured excitation function is compared with the fusion excitation function of ¹⁸O + ¹²C. A significant enhancement in the fusion probability of ¹⁹O ions with a ¹²C target as compared to ¹⁸O ions is observed. The experimental cross-sections observed at near-barrier energies are compared with a state-of-the-art microscopic model.