Continuum Effects and the Trojan Horse Mechanism in Halo Nuclei-Induced Reactions: Implications for Heavy Isotope Synthesis

Abstract

Nonelastic breakup (NEB) reactions induced by the halo nucleus $^{11}$Be on $^{64}$Zn at 28.7 MeV are investigated using the Ichimura-Austern-Vincent (IAV) model combined with the Continuum Discretized Coupled Channels (CDCC) method. NEB cross sections calculated with full CDCC wave functions (including continuum states), ground-state-only CDCC wave functions, and single-channel calculations are compared. The results indicate that continuum effects are negligible and that NEB cross sections are dominated by the ground-state contribution. This validates the use of simpler models like the distorted wave Born approximation for such reactions. Additionally, by varying the binding energy in a toy model, the feasibility of using halo nuclei in the Trojan Horse Method (THM) for synthesizing heavy isotopes is explored. It is demonstrated that THM significantly enhances sub-barrier fusion cross sections due to the weak binding of halo nuclei, offering a promising approach for the synthesis of new elements.