Search

The results obtained by estimating the contribution of $^8$Be and $^9$B nuclei to the coherent dissociation of $^{10}$C, $^{10}$B, and $^{12}$C relativistic nuclei in nuclear track emulsions (``white'' stars) are presented. The selection of ``white'' stars accompanied by $^9$B leads to a distinct peak appearing in the distribution of the excitation energy of 2$\alpha$2$p$ ensembles and having a maximum at 4.1 $\pm$ 0.3 MeV. A $^8$Be nucleus manifests itself in the coherent-dissociation reaction $^{10}$B $\to$ 2He + H with a probability of (25 $\pm$ 5)\%, (14 $\pm$ 3)\% of it being due to $^9$B decays. The ratio of the branching fractions of the $^9$B + $n$ and $^9$Be + $p$ mirror channels is estimated at 6 $\pm$ 1. An analysis of the relativistic dissociation of $^{12}$C nuclei in a nuclear track emulsion revealed nine 3$\alpha$ events corresponding to the Hoyle state.

Production of ensembles of $\alpha$-particle triples associated with the Hoyle state (the second excited state of the ${}^{12}$C nucleus) in peripheral dissociation of relativistic ${}^{12}$C nuclei is studied. Stacks of nuclear track emulsion pellicles exposed to ${}^{12}$C with an energy from hundreds MeV to a few GeV per nucleon serve as the material for studies. The Hoyle state decays are reconstructed via measurement of emission angles of $\alpha$ particles with the precision sufficient for identification of the unstable ${}^{8}$Be nucleus. The estimate of the contribution of Hoyle's state to the ${}^{12}$C $\to$ 3$\alpha$ dissociation is 10-15\%., Comment: 12 pages, 11 figures, 1 table

The dissociation of relativistic $^{12}$N nuclei having a momentum of 2 GeV/c per nucleon and undergoing the most peripheral interactions in a track emulsion is studied. The picture of charged topology of product ensembles of relativistic fragments and special features of their angular distributions are presented., Comment: ISSN 1063-7788, Pleiades Publishing, Ltd., 2013. 5 pages, 4 figures

The charge topology in the fragmentation of $^{10}$C nuclei in a track nuclear emulsion at an energy of 1.2 GeV per nucleon is studied. In the coherent dissociation of $^{10}$C nuclei, about 82% of events are associated with the channel $^{10}$C $\rightarrow$ 2$\alpha +$ 2\emph{p}. The angular distributions and correlations of product fragments are presented for this channel. It is found that among $^{10}$C $\rightarrow$ 2$\alpha +$ 2\emph{p} events, about 30% are associated with the process in which dissociation through the ground state of the unstable $^9$Be$_{g.s.}$ nucleus is followed by $^8$Be$_{g.s.} +$ \emph{p} decays., Comment: ISSN 1063-7788, Pleiades Publishing, Ltd., 2013. 6 pages, 11 figures

The differential cross section in the transverse momentum $Q$ and a total cross section of $(31\pm4)$ mb for the coherent dissociation of a 3-A-GeV/$c$ $^7$Li nucleus through the $^3$H$+^4$He channel have been measured on emulsion nuclei. The observed $Q$ dependence of the cross section is explained by the predominant supposition of the nuclear diffraction patterns on light (C, N, O) and heavy (Br, Ag) emulsion nuclei. The contributions to the cross section from nuclear diffraction ($Q\le400$ MeV/$c$) and Coulomb $(Q\le50$ MeV/$c$) dissociations are calculated to be 40.7 and 4 mb, respectively., Comment: ISSN 0021-3640, Pleiades Publishing, Ltd., 2008

In a track nuclear photoemulsion exposed to a beamof $^7$Li nuclei accelerated to a momentum of 3 GeV/$c$ per nucleon at the synchrophasotron of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR, Dubna), 13 events in which $^7$Li nuclei interacting with protons break up into $^3$H and $^4$He fragments were detected among 3730 inelastic-interaction events. For this fragmentation channel, the cross section was found to be $8\pm2$ mb. The average value of the fragment total transverse momentum was $214\pm5$ MeV/$c$. This value exceedsmarkedly the average value of the transverse-momentumtransfer in the coherent dissociation of $^7$Li nuclei on track-emulsion nuclei ($166\pm5$ MeV/$c$). The recoil-proton transverse momentum was on average 98% of the total proton momentum. The longitudinal-momentum distribution of protons was characterized by a variance of 16 MeV/$c$ and a mean value of $37\pm2$ MeV/$c$., Comment: ISSN 1063-7788

Inelastic interactions of nuclei accelerated to a momentum of 4.5 GeV/$c$ per projectile nucleon with photoemulsion nuclei have been investigated. The main features of these interactions - mean ranges of $^6$Li nuclei, mean multiplicities of secondaries, the isotopic composition of fragments, fragmentation channels, and the mean transverse momenta of projectile fragments - have been measured. The probability of the charge-exchange reaction featuring lithium nuclei has been determined. The results obtained for the $^6$Li nucleus have been compared with data for other nuclei. The observed features of $^6$Li interactions with other nuclei indicate that the $^6$Li structure in the form of the loosely bound system consisting of an $\alpha$-particle and a deuteron cluster clearly manifests itself in these interactions. Events resulting in the coherent dissociation of $^6$Li nuclei into $^4$He+$d$, $^3$He+$t$, and $t+d+p$ and involving low-lying excitations of $^6$Li have been observed.

First searches for the coherent dissociation of relativistic oxygen nuclei into four a particles are reported. It is shown that reactions of this type are characterized by a significantly lower decay temperature than the conventional multifragmentation of residual projectile nuclei. The momentum spectra and correlations of a panicles are not reproduced by the simple statistical model of direct fragmentation. The possibility that the oxygen nucleus undergoing fragmentation acquires a nonzero angular momentum in the collision process is discussed., Comment: Translated from Yadernaya Fizika, Vol.59, No. 1, 1996, pp. 110-116

A nuclear track emulsion was exposed to a mixed beam of relativistic $^{12}$N, $^{10}$C, and $^7$Be nuclei having a momentum of 2 GeV/$c$ per nucleon. The beam was formed upon charge exchange processes involving $^{12}$C primary nuclei and their fragmentation. An analysis indicates that $^{10}$C nuclei are dominant in the beam and that $^{12}$N nuclei are present in it. The charge topology of relativistic fragments in the coherent dissociation of these nuclei is presented., Comment: ISSN 1063-7788, Pleiades Publishing, Ltd., 2010

Results on the coherent dissociation of relativistic $^9$C nuclei in a nuclear track emulsion are described. These results include the charge topology and kinematical features of final states. Events of C-9 to 3He-3 coherent dissociation are identified., Comment: 14 pages, 10 figures; ISSN 1063-7788

The technique of nuclear track emulsions is used to explore the fragmentation of light relativistic nuclei down to the most peripheral interactions - nuclear "white" stars. A complete pattern of therelativistic dissociation of a $^8$B nucleus with target fragment accompaniment is presented. Relativistic dissociation $^{9}$Be$\to2\alpha$ is explored using significant statistics and a relative contribution of $^{8}$Be decays from 0$^+$ and 2$^+$ states is established. Target fragment accompaniments are shown for relativistic fragmentation $^{14}$N$\to$3He+H and $^{22}$Ne$\to$5He. The leading role of the electromagnetic dissociation on heavy nuclei with respect to break-ups on target protons is demonstrated in all these cases. It is possible to conclude that the peripheral dissociation of relativistic nuclei in nuclear track emulsion is a unique tool to study many-body systems composed of lightest nuclei and nucleons in the energy scale relevant for nuclear astrophysics., Comment: 15 pages, 4 figures, 4 tables, conference: Relativistic nuclear physics: from Nuclotron to LHC energies, Kiev, June 18-22, 2007

Experimental data on fragmentation channels in peripheral interactions of $^8$B nuclei in nuclear track emulsions are presented. A detailed analysis made it possible to justify selections of events of the electromagnetic-dissociation process $^8$B $\to^7$Be + \emph{p} and to estimate its cross section. Events of $^{10}$C peripheral dissociation that were observed in the same exposure are described., Comment: 12 pages, 10 figures, 4 tables, Published in Phys.Atom.Nucl.72:690-701,2009

\indent First results of the exposure of nuclear track emulsions in a secondary beam enriched by $^9$C nuclei at energy of 1.2 A GeV are described. The presented statistics corresponds to the most peripheral $^9$C interactions. For the first time a dissociation $^9$C $\to3^3$He not accompanied by target fragments and mesons is identified.\par, Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures, 2 tables, Presented at Advanced Studies Institute (ASI), SPIN-Praha-2008, Prague, July 20 - July 26, 2008. To be published in in The European Physical Journal Special Topics (EJP ST) Series

The results of investigations of the dissociation of a $^{14}$N nucleus of momentum 2.86~A~GeV/c in photo-emulsion are presented. The main characteristics of these reactions, that is the cross sections for various fragmentation channels, are given. The fragmentation was analyzed by means of an invariant approach. The momentum and correlation characteristics of $\alpha$ particles for the $^{14}$N$\to3\alpha$+X channel in the laboratory system and the rest systems of 3$\alpha$ particles were considered. The results obtained for the $^{14}$N nucleus are compared with similar data for the $^{12}$C and $^{16}$O nuclei., Comment: 10 pages, 7 figures, 2 tables, conference: Conference on Physics of Fundamental Interactions, Moscow, Russia, 5-9 Dec 2005 (Author's translation)

Nuclei of $^7$Li were accelerated at the JINR Nuclotron. After the charge-exchange reaction involving these nuclei at an external target a second $^7$Be beam of energy 1.23A GeV was formed. This beam was used to expose photo-emulsion chambers. The mean free path for inelastic $^7$Be interactions in emulsion $\lambda$=14.0$\pm$0.8 cm coincides within the errors with those for $^6$Li and $^7$Li nuclei. More than 10% of the $^7$Be events are associated with the peripheral interactions in which the total charge of the relativistic fragments is equal to the charge of the $^7$Be and in which charged mesons are not produced. An unusual ratio of the isotopes is revealed in the composition of the doubly charged $^7$Be fragments: the number of $^3$He fragments is twice as large as that of $^4$He fragments. In 50% of peripheral interactions, a $^7$Be nucleus decays to two doubly charged fragments. The present paper gives the channels of the $^7$Be fragmentation to charged fragments. In 50% of events, the $^7$Be fragmentation proceeds only to charged fragments involving no emission of neutrons. Of them, the $^3$He+$^4$He channel dominates, the $^4$He+d+p and $^6$Li+pchannels constitute 10% each. Two events involving no emission of neutrons are registered in the 3-body $^3$He+t+p and $^3$He+d+d channels. The mean free path for the coherent dissociation of relativistic $^7$Be nuclei to $^3$He+$^4$He is 7$\pm$1 m. The particular features of the relativistic $^7$Be fragmentation in such peripheral interactions are explained by the $^3$He+$^4$He 2-cluster structure of the $^7$Be nucleus., Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures, 3 tables, conference: Conference on Physics of Fundamental Interactions, Moscow, Russia, 5-9 Dec 2005

The results of investigations dealing with the charge topology of the fragments produced in peripheral dissociation of relativistic $^8$B nuclei in emulsion are presented. 55 events of peripheral dissociation of the $^8$B nucleus were selected from the events which do not involve the production of the target-nucleus fragments and mesons (`` white\rq\rq ~stars). A leading contribution of the $^8$B$\to^7$Be+p mode having the lowest energy threshold was revealed on the basis of those events. Information on the relative probability of dissociation modes with a larger multiplicity was obtained. The dissociation of a $^7$Be core in $^8$B indicates an analogy with that of the free $^7$Be nucleus.\par The transverse momentum distributions of the fragments from the $^8$B$\to^7$Be+p dissociation mode were obtained. Their small average value, $<$P$_t>$= 52 MeV/c, in the c.m.s. suggests a low binding energy of the external proton in the $^8$B nucleus. An indication for a strong azimuthal correlation of the $^7$Be and p fragments was got., Comment: 13 pages, 4 figures, 2 tables, conference: Conference on Physics of Fundamental Interactions, Moscow, Russia, 5-9 Dec 2005

In the present paper, experimental observations of the multifragmentation processes of light relativistic nuclei carried out by means of emulsions are reviewed. Events of the type of "white" stars in which the dissociation of relativistic nuclei is not accompanied by the production of mesons and the target-nucleus fragments are considered. A distinctive feature of the charge topology in the dissociation of the Ne, Mg, Si, and S nuclei is an almost total suppression of the binary splitting of nuclei to fragments with charges higher than 2. The growth of the nuclear fragmentation degree is revealed in an increase in the multiplicity of singly and doubly charged fragments with decreasing charge of the non-excited part of the fragmenting nucleus. The processes of dissociation of stable Li, Be, B, C, N, and O isotopes to charged fragments were used to study special features of the formation of systems consisting of the lightest $\alpha$, d, and t nuclei. Clustering in form of the $^3$He nucleus can be detected in "white" stars via the dissociation of neutron-deficient Be, B, C, and N isotopes., Comment: 20 pages, 3 figures, 9 tables, conference: Conference on Physics of Fundamental Interactions, Moscow, Russia, 1-5 Mar 2004.(Author's translation)

We give an overview of results and prospects of nuclear clustering studies on the grounds of the observations of interactions of light stable and radioactive nuclei with an initial energy above 1 A GeV in nuclear emulsions. Thank to the best spatial resolution and the full solid angle acceptance provided by nuclear emulsions, such an approach allows one to obtain unique and evident observations reecting cluster-like features in light nuclear structures. New results on dissociation of $^7$Be in very peripheral interactions with emulsion nuclei are presented. The importance of this research for the physics of few body nuclear systems and the related problems of nucleosynthesis is noted. The paper is illustrated with characteristic images obtained by means of a microscope equipped with a CCD camera. The discussed explorations are provided with the beams of the Synchrophasotron and Nuclotron of JINR, Dubna. Future investigations are suggested to be carried out in relativistic beams of He, Be, B, C, and N isotopes., Comment: 10 pages, 15 figures

The relativistic invariant approach is applied to analyzing the 3.3 A GeV $^{22}$Ne fragmentation in a nuclear track emulsion. New results on few-body dissociations have been obtained from the emulsion exposures to 2.1 A GeV $^{14}$N and 1.2 A GeV $^{9}$Be nuclei. It can be asserted that the use of the invariant approach is an effective means of obtaining conclusions about the behavior of systems involving a few He nuclei at a relative energy close to 1 MeV per nucleon. The first observations of fragmentation of 1.2 A GeV $^{8}$B and $^{9}$C nuclei in emulsion are described. The presented results allow one to justify the development of few-body aspects of nuclear astrophysics., Comment: 7 pages, 8 figures, 3 tables, Nuclear Physics in Astrophysics-2, 16-20 May, 2005 (ATOMKI), Debrecen, Hungary

The use of emulsions for studying nuclear clustering in light nucleus fragmentation processes at energies higher than 1A GeV is discussed. New results on the topologies of relativistic Li-7 and B-10 nucleus fragmentation in peripheral interactions are given. A program of research of the cluster structure in stable and radioactive nuclei is suggested., Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure. Presented at Conference on Fundamental Interactions, 2-6 December 2002, ITEP, Moscow, Russia (misprints are removed)

Using a Li-6 nucleus beam extracted from the JINR Synchrophasotron at momentum 2.67A GeV/c a secondary beam was produced with a composition of 1% of He-6 and 99% of H-3 nuclei. Preliminary results on the features of nucleus-nucleus interactions of He-6 nuclei and charge exchange (CE) of H-3 nucleus are presented. Interactions of He-6 nucleus external neutrons with emulsion nuclei as well as a coherent stripping of He-6 nucleus external neutrons are observed. A mean range of H-3 nuclei to inelastic interactions in the BR-2 type emulsion is equal to 23.$\pm$3.0 cm. A mean range in emulsion for a nuclear CE process H-3 to He-3 is equal to 40$\pm$16 m. The CE cross-sections with a charged meson production or without it are approximately equal. The CE cross-section with excitation of a target nucleus exceeds the one without excitation. The mean transverse momentum of He-3 nuclei is equal to 0.16$\pm$0.03 GeV/c., Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures