New isotopeSi44and systematics of the production cross sections of the most neutron-rich nuclei

The results of measurements of the production of neutron-rich nuclei by the fragmentation of a {sup 48}Ca beam at 142 MeV/nucleon are presented. Evidence was found for the production of a new isotope that is the most neutron-rich silicon nuclide, {sup 44}Si, in a net neutron pickup process. A simple systematic framework was found to describe the production cross sections based on thermal evaporation from excited prefragments that allows extrapolation to other weak reaction products.