Cluster-transfer reactions with radioactive beams: A spectroscopic tool for neutron-rich nuclei

Abstract

An exploratory experiment performed at REX-ISOLDE to investigate cluster-transfer reactions with radioactive beams in inverse kinematics is presented. The aim of the experiment was to test the potential of cluster-transfer reactions at the Coulomb barrier as a mechanism to explore the structure of exotic neutron-rich nuclei. The reactions $^{7}\mathrm{Li}(^{98}\mathrm{Rb},\ensuremath{\alpha}\mathrm{xn})$ and $^{7}\mathrm{Li}(^{98}\mathrm{Rb},\mathrm{t}\mathrm{xn})$ were studied through particle-$\ensuremath{\gamma}$ coincidence measurements, and the results are presented in terms of the observed excitation energies and spins. Moreover, the reaction mechanism is qualitatively discussed as a transfer of a clusterlike particle within a distorted-wave Born approximation framework. The results indicate that cluster-transfer reactions can be described well as a direct process and that they can be an efficient method to investigate the structure of neutron-rich nuclei at medium-high excitation energies and spins.