Direct measurement of B 8 +p and Be 7 +2p cross sections for C 9 + Pb 208 at 303 MeV

Elastic scattering and breakup B8+p and Be7+2p angular distributions for C9+Pb208 at an incident energy of 303 MeV, around five times the Coulomb barrier, are reported. The data have been analyzed using the optical model and the three-body continuum discretized coupled channels formalism, assuming B8+p and Be7+2p configurations. The elastic scattering angular distributions, both measured and calculated, exhibit a relatively minor suppression of the Coulomb rainbow. Calculations combining the elastic and nonelastic breakup contributions reproduce the breakup angular distributions rather well, apart from a slight overestimation observed for Be7 fragments at forward angles. Analyses of the breakup reactions reveal that the cross section for two-proton-removal from C9 is approximately twice as large as that for one-proton-removal, despite the close proximity of the one- and two-proton separation energies.