Nuclear and Coulomb Interaction in the 8B to 7Be + p Breakup Reaction at sub-Coulomb Energies

Abstract

The angular distribution for the breakup of 8B into 7Be+p on a 58Ni target has been measured at an incident energy of 25.75 MeV. The data are inconsistent with first-order theories but are remarkably well described by calculations including higher-order effects. The comparison with theory illustrates the importance of the exotic proton halo structure of 8B in accounting for the observed breakup angular distribution.

4 pages, 3 figures, Phys. Rev. Letters (accepted). This is the version that will appear in the journal article. It contains minor changes and a new reference