Investigating the Breakup Dynamics of the Proton Halo Nucleus ⁸B

Studying exotic nuclei, particularly proton halo systems like ⁸B, provides critical insights into nuclear structure and reaction dynamics[1]. We investigated the breakup mechanism of ⁸B formed through a two-step reaction sequence: ⁷Li(p,n)⁷Be(d,n)⁸B. The experiment was performed at the John D. Fox laboratory at Florida State University. Coincidence measurements of the breakup were performed to construct the four-momentum vectors, which were then used to determine the excitation energy. This research enhances the understanding of nuclear reactions and the unique properties of halo nuclei. Additionally, these findings have implications for nuclear astrophysics, particularly in modeling stellar nucleosynthesis processes involving light, exotic nuclei.

References:

[1]Yang, L., Lin, C.J., Yamaguchi, H. et al. Breakup of the proton halo nucleus ⁸B near barrier energies. Nat Commun 13, 7193 (2022).