A new prompt heavy-ion-induced fission mode

Fission instabilities induced by mechanical and thermal stresses on intermediate nuclear systems in heavy-ion reactions are poorly understood but should reveal independent evidence for the nuclear equation of state (EoS), notably the tensile strength of finite nuclei. Experimental evidence is presented in support of a new mode of prompt fission of the composite nucleus formed in central 78 Kr+ 40 Ca collisions at only a few MeV per nucleon above the interaction barrier. The new process recalls the ‘L-window for fusion’ phenomenon, which was predicted by the early reaction theory and reappears in modern DFT model calculations.