Sub-barrier backward quasielastic scattering: A probe of the hexadecapole deformation.

The quasielastic scattering excitation functions for 16O + 152Sm, 170Er and 174Yb were measured with high precision at a backward angle with small energy intervals at energies near the Coulomb barriers. The hexadecapole deformation (β4) of the target nuclei was extracted by using the lower-energy data and the obtained values agree with the available results reasonably well. This offers a sensitive method to extract β4. This method is especially meaningful for the radioactive nuclei considering the low beam intensities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]