Mass-resolved angular distributions of fission product were measured in the ${}^{20}$Ne + ${}^{232}$Th reaction at $E_{\mathrm{lab}}$ $=$ 125.6 and 142.5 MeV using the recoil catcher technique followed by offline γ-ray spectrometry. Angular anisotropy was found to decrease with increasing asymmetry of mass division. Angular anisotropies of the fission products in the symmetric region were significantly higher compared to those calculated using the statistical saddle-point model. Experimental anisotropies could be explained after considering the contribution from pre-equilibrium fission. Use of barrier energies corresponding to different mass asymmetry values in the calculations could reasonably reproduce the mass dependence of angular anisotropies. The role of barrier energies in governing the angular anisotropy indicates that the mass dependence of anisotropy may possibly be a distinguishing feature of pre-equilibrium fission from quasifission, in which the composite system escapes into the exit channel without being captured inside the saddle point.

• Received 20 June 2013

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.88.024603