ENERGY PARTITION IN NEAR-BARRIER STRONGLY DAMPED COLLISIONS NI-58+PB-208

Neutron spectra from the inverse-kinematics reaction Ni-58+ Pb-208 at E(lab)/A = 6.65 MeV have been measured in coincidence with nickel-like fragments. Neutron emission patterns for net pickup and stripping channels have been analyzed in terms of sequential evaporation from fully accelerated projectilelike and targetlike fragments. As at higher energies, these patterns suggest an absence of appreciable correlations between net mass transfer and excitation energy division for strongly damped collisions, at the present near-barrier energy. The overall multiplicities, as well as energy spectra and angular distributions of neutrons, are well reproduced by simulation calculations, assuming an energy division always in favor of the heavy fragment.