Fusion cross section measurement of ¹⁶C+¹²C near the Coulomb barrier using MUSIC

Fusion cross-section measurements around the Coulomb barrier present key information for nuclear astrophysics processes as well as an important test for theoretical models of fusion. For example, in neutron stars, fusion reactions between neutron-rich nuclei are thought to play an important role in the heating of the star. Different theoretical cross-section calculations vary by an order of magnitude from one another and from experimental values for some systems. Previously, the total fusion cross sections of different carbon isotopes (^{10, 14, 15}C+¹²C) were systematically studied using the MUlti-Sampling Ionization Chamber (MUSIC) [1]. As a natural extension to more neutron-rich systems, we measured the total fusion cross section of ¹⁶C+¹²C at E_cm=15-30 MeV using MUSIC at Argonne National Laboratory. Our results and future plans to probe lower center-of-mass energies and measure the ¹⁶C+¹³C cross section near the Coulomb barrier will be discussed.

[1] Carnelli et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 112,192701 (2014).