Challenging fission dynamics around the barrier: The case of 34S + 186W

The current status of fission dynamics studies in heavy-ion collisions around the Coulomb barrier is illustrated with the S-34+ W-186 reaction. The fission-fragment mass and total kinetic energy were measured at the ALTO facility at IPN Orsay, France, with a dedicated set-up using the (v, E) approach. The measurement reveals the presence of an asymmetric fission component on top of a predominantly symmetric distribution. The asymmetric structure, pointed out for the first time, is discussed along with results of previous experiments studying the same reaction. While these analyses suggested the contribution from either quasi-fission or pre-equilibrium fission, we offer an alternative interpretation, in terms of shell-driven compound-nucleus fission. The present measurement demonstrates the critical influence of resolution when addressing puzzling cases, situated at the crossroads of the various channels opened in a heavy-ion collision. Current status in the field clearly calls for innovative measurements involving manifold correlations and new observables. The outcome of the attempt done in this work in this direction, based on the coincident measurement of prompt gamma-rays is reported, and encouraging perspectives are discussed.