Nuclear rainbow in elastic scattering of [sup.9]Be nuclei

A systematic investigation of the elastic scattering of the [sup.9]Be nucleus, which is among the most loosely bound stable nuclei was performed. Differential cross sections for elastic [sup.9]Be + [sup.16]O scattering were measured at a c.m. energy of 47.5 MeV (beam of 132-MeV [sup.16]O nuclei). Available data at different energy values and data for neighboring nuclei were included in our analysis. As a result, the very fact of rainbow scattering was reliably established for the first time in systems involving 9 Be. In addition, the analysis in question made it possible to identify Airy minima and to determine unambiguously the nucleus--nucleus potential with a high probability.