Nuclear-stopping-induced fast multifragmentation in Ar+-C60 collisions -: art. no. 043201

Ionization and multifragmentation of C-60 in Ar+ impact at 7 keV, 14 keV, and 20 keV have been investigated. Fragment mass spectra differentiated according to the C-60(r+) parent ion charge state are interpreted in terms of a transition from the nonstatistical fast multifragmentation in a time range of about 500 fs induced by nuclear interaction at low collision velocity (v < 0.1 a.u.) to the statistical multifragmentation induced by nuclear and electronic interaction at higher collision velocities. Prompt ejection of a carbon atom due to the direct momentum transfer is observed.