297 research outputs found
Heated nuclear matter, condensation phenomena and the hadronic equation of state
The thermodynamic properties of heated nuclear matter are explored using an
exactly solvable canonical ensemble model. This model reduces to the results of
an ideal Fermi gas at low temperatures. At higher temperatures, the
fragmentation of the nuclear matter into clusters of nucleons leads to features
that resemble a Bose gas. Some parallels of this model with the phenomena of
Bose condensation and with percolation phenomena are discussed. A simple
expression for the hadronic equation of state is obtained from the model.Comment: 12 pages, revtex, 1 ps file appended (figure 1
Signals for a Transition from Surface to Bulk Emission in Thermal Multifragmentation
Excitation-energy-gated two-fragment correlation functions have been studied
between 2 to 9A MeV of excitation energy for equilibrium-like sources formed in
and p + Au reactions at beam momenta of 8,9.2 and 10.2 GeV/c.
Comparison of the data to an N-body Coulomb-trajectory code shows a decrease of
one order of magnitude in the fragment emission time in the excitation energy
interval 2-5A MeV, followed by a nearly constant breakup time at higher
excitation energy. The observed decrease in emission time is shown to be
strongly correlated with the increase of the fragment emission probability, and
the onset of thermally-induced radial expansion. This result is interpreted as
evidence consistent with a transition from surface-dominated to bulk emission
expected for spinodal decomposition.Comment: 11 pages including 3 postscript figures (1 color
Studies in the statistical and thermal properties of hadronic matter under some extreme conditions
The thermal and statistical properties of hadronic matter under some extreme
conditions are investigated using an exactly solvable canonical ensemble model.
A unified model describing both the fragmentation of nuclei and the thermal
properties of hadronic matter is developed. Simple expressions are obtained for
quantities such as the hadronic equation of state, specific heat,
compressibility, entropy, and excitation energy as a function of temperature
and density. These expressions encompass the fermionic aspect of nucleons, such
as degeneracy pressure and Fermi energy at low temperatures and the ideal gas
laws at high temperatures and low density. Expressions are developed which
connect these two extremes with behavior that resembles an ideal Bose gas with
its associated Bose condensation. In the thermodynamic limit, an infinite
cluster exists below a certain critical condition in a manner similar to the
sudden appearance of the infinite cluster in percolation theory. The importance
of multiplicity fluctuations is discussed and some recent data from the EOS
collaboration on critical point behavior of nuclei can be accounted for using
simple expressions obtained from the model.Comment: 22 pages, revtex, includes 6 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.
Neutron-diffraction studies of amorphous CNx materials
The results of neutron-diffraction experiments performed on two samples of amorphous CNx, with nitrogen concentrations of 5 and 30 at. %, prepared by a combination of filtered cathodic are and Kaufman-type ion source, are presented. Increasing the N content of the samples is seen to cause a decrease of the average bond length and the first coordination number. An increase in the average bond angle from 113 degrees to 121 degrees is also observed. The pair-distribution functions indicate that N incorporation results in some transformation of sp(3) C sites to sp(2) sites, but there is no evidence for N inducing the formation of crystalline graphitic clusters, and the overall structure remains amorphous. A direct subtraction of the two data sets emphasizes the loss of sp(3) bonds and the increasing sp(2) character of the higher-N-content sample, and shows the occurrence of a variety of bonding environments for N. More limited information on second neighbor correlations involving N is also revealed
Equation of State, Spectra and Composition of Hot and Dense Infinite Hadronic Matter in a Microscopic Transport Model
Equilibrium properties of infinite relativistic hadron matter are
investigated using the Ultrarelativistic Quantum Molecular Dynamics (UrQMD)
model. The simulations are performed in a box with periodic boundary
conditions. Equilibration times depend critically on energy and baryon
densities. Energy spectra of various hadronic species are shown to be isotropic
and consistent with a single temperature in equilibrium. The variation of
energy density versus temperature shows a Hagedorn-like behavior with a
limiting temperature of 13010 MeV. Comparison of abundances of different
particle species to ideal hadron gas model predictions show good agreement only
if detailed balance is implemented for all channels. At low energy densities,
high mass resonances are not relevant; however, their importance raises with
increasing energy density. The relevance of these different conceptual
frameworks for any interpretation of experimental data is questioned.Comment: Latex, 20 pages including 6 eps-figure
Randomly Broken Nuclei and Disordered Systems
Similarities between models of fragmenting nuclei and disordered systems in
condensed matter suggest corresponding methods. Several theoretical models of
fragmentation investigated in this fashion show marked differences, indicating
possible new methods for distinguishing models using yield data. Applying
nuclear methods to disordered systems also yields interesting results.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figure
Radial Flow in Au+Au Collisions at E=0.25-1.15 A GeV
A systematic study of energy spectra for light particles emitted at
midrapidity from Au+Au collisions at E=0.25-1.15 A GeV reveals a significant
non-thermal component consistent with a collective radial flow. This component
is evaluated as a function of bombarding energy and event centrality.
Comparisons to Quantum Molecular Dynamics (QMD) and Boltzmann-Uehling-Uhlenbeck
(BUU) models are made for different equations of state.Comment: 10 pages of text and 4 figures (all ps files in a uuencoded package)
An investigation of standard thermodynamic quantities as determined via models of nuclear multifragmentation
Both simple and sophisticated models are frequently used in an attempt to
understand how real nuclei breakup when subjected to large excitation energies,
a process known as nuclear multifragmentation. Many of these models assume
equilibriumthermodynamics and produce results often interpreted as evidence of
a phase transition. This work examines one class of models and employs standard
thermodynamical procedure to explore the possible existence and nature of a
phase transition. The role of various terms, e.g. Coulomb and surface energy,
is discussed.Comment: 19 two-column format pages with 24 figure
Antiproton Production in Collisions at AGS Energies
Inclusive and semi-inclusive measurements are presented for antiproton
() production in proton-nucleus collisions at the AGS. The inclusive
yields per event increase strongly with increasing beam energy and decrease
slightly with increasing target mass. The yield in 17.5 GeV/c p+Au
collisions decreases with grey track multiplicity, , for ,
consistent with annihilation within the target nucleus. The relationship
between and the number of scatterings of the proton in the nucleus is
used to estimate the annihilation cross section in the nuclear
medium. The resulting cross section is at least a factor of five smaller than
the free annihilation cross section when assuming a small or
negligible formation time. Only with a long formation time can the data be
described with the free annihilation cross section.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figure
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