Fig. 2.

Starting with a beam of ⁴⁸Ca nuclei, making the isotopes leading to ⁴⁰Mg entails knocking out only protons (blue line). But to produce ⁴⁴Si (red line), ⁴⁸Ca must acquire two neutrons in addition to losing six protons. The isotopes that are easiest to make (green line), such as ³⁶Mg to ³⁸Mg, are those that result from mixed proton-and-neutron knock-out.

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