Fusion of ²⁰O incident ions with ¹²C target nuclei

Evaporation residues resulting from fusion of ²⁰O incident ions with ¹²C target nuclei have been measured for the first time. The cross-section associated with compound nuclei that de-excite via emission of charged particle is extracted. The resulting excitation function is compared with the predictions of a standard fusion model followed by statistical decay code. A significant underprediction of the measured cross-section by the fusion-evaporation model raises the question of whether the fusion cross-section is larger for the neutron-rich projectile or the statistical de-excitation is incorrectly predicted. Improvements in the experimental technique which should allow future measurement of the total fusion cross-section are described.