Quantum diffusion description of the subbarrier-capture process in heavy-ion reactions

The capture of a projectile nucleus by a target nucleus at bombarding energies below the Coulomb barrier is studied on the basis of the quantum diffusion approach. The results obtained in this way for reactions involving spherical nuclei are in good agreement with available experimental data. It is shown that, beyond the range of nuclear forces, the decrease in the capture cross section as the bombarding energy decreases becomes slower.