Pair and single neutron transfer with Borromean 8He

Abstract Direct observation of the survival of 199 Au residues after 2 n transfer in the He 8 + Au 197 system and the absence of the corresponding 67 Cu in the He 8 + Cu 65 system at various energies are reported. The measurements of the surprisingly large cross sections for 199 Au, coupled with the integral cross sections for the various Au residues, is used to obtain the first model-independent lower limits on the ratio of 2 n to 1 n transfer cross sections from 8 He to a heavy target. A comparison of the transfer cross sections for 6,8 He on these targets highlights the differences in the interactions of these Borromean nuclei. These measurements for the most neutron-rich nuclei on different targets highlight the need to probe the reaction mechanism with various targets and represent an experimental advance towards understanding specific features of pairing in the dynamics of dilute nuclear systems.