Selection of the optimal condition for the production of light neutron-rich isotopes in multinucleon transfer reactions

Light neutron-rich isotopes are populated as products of the multinucleon transfer reaction following the collisions of Ni-64 beams onto Te-130, Pb-208, and U-238 targets and Ar-40 beams onto Au-197, Pb-208, and U-238 targets at bombarding energies slightly above the Coulomb barrier. Distribution characteristics of projectile-like fragments are studied in the framework of dinuclear system concept where dynamic deformation is taken into account. The odd-even effect in the diffusion process is discussed, and the distribution of final isotopes can be well reproduced by the effective local excitation energies excluding pairing energies. Compared with the experimental data, it is found that the heavier (i.e., larger N/Z ratio) the target is, the more likely it is to produce light neutron-rich isotopes.