SAIP2026

Role of Nuclear Density in Heavy-Ion Fusion Hindrance within the Double-Folding Framework

9 Jul 2026, 10:10

20m

Lecture Hall GH2 (University of the Western Cape)

Oral Presentation Track B - Nuclear, Particle and Radiation Physics Nuclear, Particle and Radiation Physics -1

Speaker

Dr Joshua Tolulope Majekodunmi (University Of South Africa)

Description

Two competing theoretical approaches - the Sudden Model and the Adiabatic Model - have been widely used to explain the phenomenon of fusion hindrance in heavy-ion fusion reactions at deep sub-barrier energies. These models predict significantly different depths of the nucleus–nucleus interaction potential, yet they often reproduce similar fusion cross-sections. Thus, the underlying mechanism of the hindrance effect not fully resolved [1-3]. Motivated by this discrepancy, the present work explores additional dynamical factors that may either hinder or enhance fusion beyond the influence of potential depth alone. The nucleus–nucleus interaction potential is constructed using the Double-Folding Model [4], where the folding integral is evaluated in momentum space through a Fourier transform. Our analysis demonstrates that the physics governing the resulting interaction potential lies in the choice and treatment of the nuclear density distributions. This is achieved through a systematic investigation of different density prescriptions. The implications of these findings and the resulting insight into heavy-ion fusion at deep sub-barrier energies will form the focus of our discussion.
References
1. Sorin Misicu and Henning Esbensen, Phys. Rev. Lett. 96, 112701 (2006).
2. Takatoshi Ichikawa, Koichi Hagino, and Akira Iwamoto, Phys. Rev. Lett. 103, 202701 (2009).
3. K. Cheng, C. Xu, C. Ma, J. Pu, and Y. Wang, Phys. Rev. C 103, 014613 (2021).
4. G. R. Satchler and W. G. Love, Phys. Rep. 55, 183 (1979).