Measurement of Ni58(p,p)Ni58 elastic scattering at low momentum transfer by using the HIRFL-CSR heavy-ion storage ring

The very first in-ring reaction experiment at the Cooler Storage Ring at the Heavy Ion Research Facility in Lanzhou (HIRFL-CSR), namely proton elastic scattering on stable Ni58 nuclei, is presented. The circulating Ni19+58 ions with an energy of 95 MeV/u were interacting repeatedly with an internal hydrogen gas target in the experimental storage ring (CSRe). Low-energy proton recoils from the elastic collisions were measured with an ultra-high vacuum compatible silicon-strip detector. Deduced differential cross sections were normalized by measuring k-shell x rays from Ni19+58 projectiles due to the Ni19+58-H2 ionization collisions. Compared to the experimental cross sections, a good agreement has been achieved with the theoretical predictions in the measured region, which were obtained by using the global phenomenological optical model potentials. Our results enable new research opportunities for optical model potential studies on exotic nuclides by using the in-ring reaction setup at the HIRFL-CSR facility.