Pionic Fusion, a Tool to Study Cluster Correlations in Halo Nuclei

We are investigating the halo nucleus 6He and its isobaric analogue state at 3.56 MeV excitation energy in 6Li in a series of pionic fusion experiments at the CELSIUS storage ring facility in Uppsala. The 4He(d, 6He)π+ reaction was studied 0.6-5.4 MeV above threshold in the centre-of-mass frame with a deuteron beam incident on a 4He gas target. The 6He ions were detected in a ΔE - E solid-state detector telescope inserted into the CELSIUS ring. Preliminary results are presented and compared to results for the analogue reaction producing 6Li*3.56.