Dasgupta, MahanandaDiaz-Torres, AlexisBouriquet, BertrandLow, CatherineMilburn, Gerard JamesNewton, JHinde, David2009-08-262010-12-202009-08-262010-12-20Physical Review Letters 99.19 (2007): 192701/1-40031-90071079-7114http://hdl.handle.net/10440/768http://digitalcollections.anu.edu.au/handle/10440/768New measurements of fusion cross sections at deep sub-barrier energies for the reactions 16O+204,208Pb show a steep but almost saturated logarithmic slope, unlike 64Ni-induced reactions. Coupled channels calculations cannot simultaneously reproduce these new data and above-barrier cross-sections with the same Woods-Saxon nuclear potential. It is argued that this highlights an inadequacy of the coherent coupled channels approach. It is proposed that a new approach explicitly including gradual decoherence is needed to allow a consistent description of nuclear fusion.4 pageshttp://www.sherpa.ac.uk/romeo/index.php "Author can archive pre-print (ie pre-refereeing) … post-print (ie final draft post-refereeing) … [and] publisher's version/PDF. Link to publisher version … [and] Copyright notice required. Publisher's version/PDF can be used on … employers web site." - from SHERPA/RoMEO site (as at 25/02/10). ©2007 The American Physical SocietyKeywords: Nickel; Coupled channels; Logarithmic slope; Woods-Saxon nuclear potential; Fusion reactions2007-11-0610.1103/PhysRevLett.99.1927012018-11-05