Near-barrier fusion of the ⁸B + ⁵⁸Ni proton-halo system

Fusion cross sections were measured for the exotic proton-halo nucleus ⁸B incident on a ⁵⁸Ni target at several energies near the Coulomb barrier. This is the first experiment to report on the fusion of a proton-halo nucleus. The resulting excitation function shows a striking enhancement with respect to expectations for normal projectiles. Evidence is presented that the sum of the fusion and breakup yields saturates the total reaction cross section.