Probing neutron-rich prefragment distributions for ⁹Be(³²Mg,X) at 86 MeV/u

Studying the properties of nuclides near the limits of nuclear existence is one of the primary scientific goals of rare isotope beam facilities. Powerful accelerators like the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) use projectile fragmentation reactions to produce such exotic nuclides. To run these types of experiments successfully, it is crucial to accurately predict the beam intensities. Projectile fragmentation is commonly modeled as a two-step (Abrasion-Ablation) process; however, the details of the reaction mechanism are not yet well-understood. In particular, very little experimental information is known about the excited, projectile-like prefragment that is formed during the initial fast step of the reaction. An experiment was performed at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory (NSCL) to provide more information about the intermediate state(s) produced in fragmentation reactions. A ³²Mg secondary beam was fragmented on a beryllium target at 86 MeV/u, producing many neutron-rich nuclides that were detected in coincidence with one or more neutrons using the Modular Neutron Array (MoNA)-Sweeper setup. The neutron hit multiplicity spectra associated with each observed nuclide, along with other experimental observables, were compared to the predictions of the Liège Intranuclear Cascade Model (INCL) and the Abrasion-Ablation model to extract information about the excited prefragments that are generated in the reaction. Preliminary results from this work will be presented and discussed.