Suppression of charge equilibration leading to the synthesis of exotic nuclei.

Charge equilibration between two colliding nuclei can take place in the early stage of heavy-ion collisions. A basic mechanism of charge equilibration is presented in terms of the extension of single-particle motion from one nucleus to the other, from which the upper energy limit of the bombarding energy is introduced for significant charge equilibration. The formula for this limit is presented, and is compared to various experimental data. It is examined also by comparison to three-dimensional time-dependent density functional calculations. The suppression of charge equilibration, which appears in collisions at the energies beyond the upper energy limit, gives rise to remarkable effects on the synthesis of exotic nuclei with extreme proton-neutron asymmetry.