  The de-excitation of alpha-conjugate nuclei produced in reactions of 35
MeV/nucleon 40Ca with 40Ca has been investigated. Particular emphasis is placed
on examining the dynamics of collisions leading to projectile-like fragment
exit channels. A general exploration of the reaction systematics reveals the
binary dissipative character of the collisions and a hierarchy effect similar
to that seen for heavier systems. Investigation of the subset of events
characterized by a total alpha-conjugate mass (alpha particles plus
alpha-conjugate fragments) equal to 40 and atomic number equal to 20 reveals a
dominance of alpha-conjugate exit channels. The hierarchy effect for these
channels leads to the production of alpha-clustered neck structures with
potentially exotic geometries and properties.
