This thesis concerns the use of nuclear reactions to study the structure of neutron-rich light nuclei. Emphasis is placed on 11Be which has been identified as a nucleus with a single neutron halo and which offers a simple 2-body case for detailed analysis. Comparisons are made with experimental data for the break-up of 11Be on gold, titanium and beryllium targets. As a prelude to more detailed work a simple elastic break-up model calculation, using the Distorted Wave Born Approximation (DWBA), is attempted. The resulting theoretical cross-sections show good agreement with the shape of the experimental data but cannot predict the absolute magnitude. A major part of the break-up work is a more accurate model using the post-form DWBA. The formulation is built up from basic scattering theory and includes details of employing the Zero Range Approximation and the Vincent and Fortune method of integration. A Finite Range Correction is also applied. Cross-section calculations for a gold target agree closely with experiment but a problem arises for lighter targets. Here the Coulomb potential must be excluded from the calculation to obtain a result that matches the experimental data. A method for the calculation of inelastic break-up is presented which only requires a small modification to the methods used for elastic break-up. As it suffers from the same light target problem only calculations for a gold target give an inclusive cross-section, produced from the elastic and inelastic contributions, which matches the experimental data satisfactorily. To overcome the light target problem a full recoil calculation is introduced. Arguments and analysis are produced to show that this method is too demanding of both computing time and storage for practicable implementation. Future calculations are proposed using an analytical method for Coulomb break-up.

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / Please refer to full text for abstract.

This thesis presents a series of electron impact ionization measurements on the gas phase targets of argon and krypton. The (e,2e) coincidence technique has been employed to measure the triple differential cross section (TDCS) using a new coincidence spectrometer designed to operate in the low energy regime (2 to 5 times the ionization energy) and in the coplanar geometry. The spectrometer is a conventional device utilizing a non-energy selected electron gun and two 1800 hemispherical electron analysers fitted with channel electron multipliers for detection of the outgoing electrons. A series of TDCS measurements were performed on the 3s inner-valence and 3p valence orbitals of argon employing coplanar asymmetric kinematics. Measurements for both orbitals were performed at an incident energy of 113.5 eV, ejected energies of 10, 7.5, 5 and 2 eV and a scattering angle of -15°. The energy of the scattered electron in each case was chosen to satis~' energy conservation and is dependent on the ionization energies of the different orbitals. The experimental cross sections are compared to theoretical TDCS calculations using the distorted wave Born approximation (DWBA) and variations of the DWBA in an attempt to investigate the role that post collisional interaction (PCI), polarization and electron exchange play in describing the TDCS in the low energy regime. To further extend this analysis, a series of TDCS measurements were performed on the 3s and 4s. orbitals of argon and krypton, respectively, employing coplanar symmetric kinematics. Measurements were performed for the 3s orbital at outgoing energies of 50, 20, 10 and 4eV and for the 4s orbital at outgoing energies of 85, 50, 20 and 10 eV. The kinematics were chosen to coincide with several of the (e,2e) measurements made in the same geometry on the 3p orbital of argon by Rouvellou et al (1998). The experimental results were again compared to a DWBA calculation and similar variations to those employed for the asymmetric measurements.

La nucléosynthèse du fluor n'est pas encore clairement expliquée. Plusieurs scénarios prédisent que la réaction de capture alpha radiative sur l'azote 15 est la principale réaction de production de fluor. Dans l'expression du taux de cette réaction un paramètre essentiel est manquant, la largeur partielle alpha de la résonance sur le niveau d'énergie E = 4,377 MeV du fluor 19. Une mesure directe est exclue du fait de la très faible valeur attendue de la section efficace. Nous avons déterminé cette largeur alpha par le biais d'une réaction de transfert et une analyse en FR-DWBA (Finite Range Distorted Wave Born Approximation) dans un modèle simplifié de cluster alpha. Cette expérience a été effectuée avec un faisceau de lithium 7 accéléré à 28 MeV sur une cible gazeuse d'azote 15. Les 16 premiers niveaux du fluor ont été étudiés. Les facteurs spectroscopiques ont été extraits pour la majorité de ces niveaux. Les largeurs alpha des niveaux au-dessus du seuil ont été déterminées. Plusieurs largeurs alpha ont été comparées avec des valeurs publiées de mesures directes et l'écart reste dans la plage d'incertitude que nous avons estimée (facteur 2). La largeur alpha du niveau d'énergie E = 4,377 MeV a été déterminée, sa valeur est environ 60 fois plus faible que la valeur utilisée jusqu'à ce jour. L'influence de ce nouveau taux est observée principalement dans les étoiles dites AGB (Asymptotic Giant Branch) lors de phénomènes de pulsations thermiques. Dans ce modèle l'impact de nos mesures est sensible.