North-Holland Molecular bond effects in the fusion of halo nuclei

We consider the effect of the long tail of the neutron distribution in the fusion of halo nuclei. We show that for relative separations on the order of the halo size, the exchange of the valence neutrons between the two nuclei is responsible for an effective attractive potential which decreases the Coulomb barrier and increases the fusion cross sections dramatically. The interest in the field of very neutron-rich nuclei of low-Z elements began in 1965 with the discovery [ 1] of SHe in fission and the measurement of its half-life when produced in a high-energy nuclear eaction [ 2]. With the discovery of 11Li, 12Be, 14B, and 15B the advantages of high-energy nuclear reactions for the production of exotic nuclei became vident [ 3]. One of the most interesting features of some neutron-rich nuclei is the long tail of the valence neutron distribu-tions which has been inferred from measurements of total reaction cross sections and of momentum dis