Effect of the lifetime of the intermediate 5Li state in the 6Li(3He, αp)4He reaction

A cylindrical asymmetry about the direction of motion of 5Li has been seen in the breakup of the ground state of this nucleus observed as an intermediate state in the reaction 6Li(3He, pα)4He. Measurements were made at bombarding energies of 1.00, 1.25, and 1.50 MeV with isotopically enriched LiF targets using a two-dimensional analysis technique. We explain both the rough magnitude of the asymmetry and its qualitative energy dependence in terms of a simple semiclassical model. In this model the origin of the asymmetry is associated with the short life of the 5Li intermediate state and with the memory retained by the proton during this short life of its "localization" at the time of formation of 5Li.