Fusion and breakup of weakly bound nuclei

In this paper the phenomenon of heavy ion fusion at low energies is discussed, with special emphasis given to the fusion of loosely bound stable and unstable projectiles. A review of the experimental methods and techniques used to measure the fusion and the breakup cross section is also presented, and the experimental challenges encountered in the measurement of the fusion cross section of these systems are pointed out. The theoretical description of the fusion of these loosely bound nuclei is reviewed.