Fusion of ⁹Li with ²⁰⁸Pb

We have measured the fusion excitation function for the ⁹Li+²⁰⁸Pb reaction for near-barrier projectile center-of-mass energies of 23.9 to 43.0 MeV using the ISAC2 facility at TRIUMF. The α-emitting evaporation residues (^211–214At) were stopped in the ²⁰⁸Pb target, and their decay was measured. The isotopic yields at each energy were in good agreement with the predictions of a statistical model code (HIVAP). The measured fusion excitation function shows evidence for substantial sub-barrier fusion enhancement not predicted by current theoretical models. There is a suppression of the above barrier cross sections relative to these model predictions. The implications of this measurement for studying the fusion of ¹¹Li with ²⁰⁸Pb are discussed.