Defining a reaction plane in particle-fission correlation measurements

Abstract

A simple model is developed to describe the spin misalignment in particle-fission correlation measurements. Analytical expressions are derived for the spin fluctuations as a function of fission fragment emission angle. Some recent experimental results on a-fission correlations are interpreted within the framework of the model.

Reaction plane determination using azimuthal correlations

“…When fission is a likely exit channel for the compound system formed in the collision, the reaction plane can be found from the azimuthal angles of the fission fragments [22,16]. The azimuthal correlation method presented here allows the reaction plane to be determined when fission is not a likely exit channel and transverse collective motion is weak, but the mean field interaction is primarily attractive.…”

“…As a convention, azimutha1 angles of particles with respect to the reaction plane will always be measured from the forward flow slide. It is important to note that attractive and repulsive flow cannot be distinguished from one another using the techniques described in this paper since they both led to similar final distributions of At beam energies just above the Coulomb barrier, the reaction plane can be inferred from the azimuthal angles of fission fragments emitted from the rotating compound system [12,16]. This technique is limited to heavy systems for which fission is a likely exit channel.…”