TIME-SCALE FOR THE BINARY DISINTEGRATION OF THE PROJECTILE IN TI-48-93 COLLISIONS AT 19.1 MEV(NB)U/

The time scale for the binary disintegration of projectile-like fragme nts was investigated in Ti-48+Nb-93 collisions at 19.1 MeV/nucleon. Th e influence of the target proximity to the decaying projectile-like fr agment was utilized to determine the time interval between the primary re-separation of the projectile and target and the secondary projecti le disintegration. This time interval for near symmetric decay of the projectile, is less than approximate to 200 fm/c. Taking into account the time interval required to separate the two fragments of the projec tile to their scission configuration, the projectile decay process is one which quite likely, or quite often, is initiated before the projec tile and target-like fragments are fully separated.