An experimental approach to angular momentum transfer in heavy ion reactions

The current experimental status on angular momentum transfer status in heavy ion reactions is reviewed. After a short presentation of the basic theoretical concepts that are underlying all the research works in this field, the experimental techniques that have been commonly used are presented. Results obtained by the γ-multiplicity method are discussed first. Then come, for the very heavy systems, the sequential fission data, followed by the results of a recent experiment on light charged particles. The simple theoretical concepts that are introduced first are continuously used as guidelines to discuss the following results. The respective advantages but also the basic limitations of the above three experimental techniques are exposed. Although they are expected to work best in different regions of the mass table, it is shown, that they give complementary informations which have been most useful in improving our understanding of the tangential friction mechanism