Complete fusion in peripheral collisions observed in the reaction 16O on 146Nd at 10 MeV/u

Abstract It is experimentally well established that the nucleus 162 Er is stable against fission for spins below 65 ħ. The observation of fission in the reaction 16 O on 146 Nd proves therefore that compound nuclei have been formed with spins beyond this value via complete fusion as in the competing process of incomplete fusion with 12 C originating from 16 O break-up states with spins below 55 ħ in 158 Dy are populated which are stable against fission. Complete fusion is found to occur for partial waves well above the critical l value. For these peripheral collisions complete and incomplete fusion seem to coexist.