Comprehensive study of the 6,7Li+124Sn reactions at energies near the Coulomb barrier

Background: In recent decades, reactions involving weakly bound projectiles have been investigated by several research groups working in the nuclear physics field. Despite the relative success of a few theoretical models in addressing some reaction outcomes, many puzzling questions remain. A relatively large number of reactions with weakly bound nuclei have been systematically investigated at the Open Laboratory of Nuclear Physics of the University of Sao Paulo. The present data set is analyzed through coupled reaction channels calculations in the context of the double-folding Sao Paulo potential. Purpose: The main goal of the present paper is to investigate nuclear reaction mechanisms for systems involving weakly bound projectiles. Method: Angular distributions for several nuclear reaction processes were measured for the 6,7Li + 124Sn systems at energies around the Coulomb barrier. Fusion data obtained in other works for both systems at energies below and above the barrier are also analyzed in the present paper. Results: Angular distributions of elastic and inelastic scattering, as well as transfer, were obtained at the 30B scattering chamber of the Open Laboratory of Nuclear Physics of the University of Sao Paulo. The effect of the couplings to some nonelastic states on the angular distributions is discussed throughout the paper. Fusion cross sections were also analyzed using the coupled reaction channels approach. A strong absorptive imaginary potential is necessary to explain the measured angular distributions and fusion excitation functions. Conclusion: The theoretical calculations within the coupled reaction channels formalism provide an overall good agreement with the corresponding elastic, inelastic, transfer, and fusion data.