Fusion reactions induced by halo and weakly bound nuclei around the Coulomb barrier: results and experimental problems

The study of collisions around the Coulomb barrier, induced by halo and weakly bound nuclei, has been the object of many publications in the last decade.In fact, it is expected that the low breakup threshold, coupled to the halo or cluster structure of the ground state of the projectiles, can deeply affect the reaction dynamics.In this paper, we will give an overview of our present understanding in the study of fusion reactions induced by such beams, by comparing some of our experimental results with ones of other authors.The need of new better quality data for a deeper understanding of the discussed topic will be underlined, and some of the related experimental challenges discussed.