The Formation of 8 Be Nuclei and Their Role in the Fragmentation of Light Nuclei

In the processes related to nuclear clustering in light nuclei, a special role belongs to the 8 Be nucleus. This nucleus is the transition state through which a considerable fraction of α particles, the fragments of all relativistic nuclei, is formed. The emphasis of this review is on the experimental features involved in iden- tifying 8 Be nuclei in the fragmentation of relativistic 10 B nuclei, chosen due to the fact that they are the lightest nuclei in which this cluster can be formed. The formation probabilities of 8 Be nuclei are calculated for the frag- mentation of relativistic 10 B, 12 C, and 16 O nuclei and compared with the experimental data. It is shown that the suggested formation mechanism of this clustering during the fragmentation of relativistic nuclei is correct, as the calculations performed on its basis are experimentally corroborated.