Production cross sections and the particle stability of proton-rich nuclei from [sup 58]Ni fragmentation

Using a primary beam of [sup 58]Ni at 650 MeV/nucleon impinging on a beryllium target, production cross sections of proton-rich fragments from projectile fragmentation have been measured at the projectile-fragment separator FRS at Gesellschaft fuer Schwerionenforschung Darmstadt m.b.H. The experimental data ranging from nickel to scandium for isotopes close to stability as well as for fragments at the proton drip line are compared to predictions of the microscopic ISApace code, to calculations with a revised abrasion-ablation model and with the statistical abrasion model, and to the results of the empirical parametrization EPAX. Besides these systematic measurements, evidence for the particle stability of [sup 50]Ni has been found for the first time, whereas the nuclei [sup 49]Co and [sup 54]Cu are shown to be unbound. These observations are compared to mass predictions.