Sub-barrier fusion of neutron-rich nuclei:¹³²Sn+⁶⁴Ni

Accelerated beams of ¹³²Sn (98% pure) were used to measure sub-barrier fusion cross sections of ¹³²Sn+⁶⁴Ni induced reactions down to energies for which the cross section was as low as 3mb. The measured excitation function shows large enhancement in cross section that could not be accounted for by coupling of inelastic and transfer channels. A simple computational model for calculating sub-barrier fusion cross sections between neutron-rich heavy nuclei reproduces the very large enhancement observed for this system.