Time scale for the binary disintegration of the projectile in ⁴⁸Ti+⁹³Nb collisions at 19.1 MeV/u

The time scale for the binary disintegration of projectile-like fragments was investigated in ⁴⁸Ti+⁹³Nb collisions at 19.1 MeV/nucleon. The influence of the target proximity to the decaying projectile-like fragment was utilized to determine the time interval between the primary re-separation of the projectile and target and the secondary projectile disintegration. This time interval for near symmetric decay of the projectile, is less than ≈ 200 fm/c. Taking into account the time interval required to separate the two fragments of the projectile to their scission configuration, the projectile decay process is one which quite likely, or quite often, is initiated before the projectile and target-like fragments are fully separated.