SUBBARRIER FUSION OF HE-6 WITH BI-209

The fusion of He-6 with a Bi-209 target has been studied at energies n ear to and below the Coulomb barrier. Despite the weak binding of the valence neutrons in He-6, little evidence is found for suppression of fusion due to projectile breakup. instead, a large enhancement of sub- barrier fusion is observed. It is suggested that this enhancement may arise from coupling to positive Q value neutron transfer channels, res ulting in ''neutron flow'' between the projectile and the target. [S00 31-9007(98)07674-1].