Breakup Conditions of Projectile Spectators from Dynamical Observables

Momenta and masses of heavy projectile fragments (Z >= 8), produced in collisions of 197Au with C, Al, Cu and Pb targets at E/A = 600 MeV, were determined with the ALADIN magnetic spectrometer at SIS. An analysis of kinematic correlations between the two and three heaviest projectile fragments in their rest frame was performed. The sensitivity of these correlations to the conditions at breakup was verified within the schematic SOS-model. The data were compared to calculations with statistical multifragmentation models and to classical three-body calculations. Classical trajectory calculations reproduce the dynamical observables. The deduced breakup parameters, however, differ considerably from those assumed in the statistical multifragmentation models which describe the charge correlations. If, on the other hand, the analysis of kinematic and charge correlations is performed for events with two and three heavy fragments produced by statistical multifragmentation codes, a good agreement with the data is found with the exception that the fluctuation widths of the intrinsic fragment energies are significantly underestimated. A new version of the multifragmentation code MCFRAG was therefore used to investigate the potential role of angular momentum at the breakup stage. If a mean angular momentum of 0.75$\hbar$/nucleon is added to the system, the energy fluctuations can be reproduced, but at the same time the charge partitions are modified and deviate from the data. PACS numbers: 25.70.Mn, 25.70.Pq, 25.75.Ld, 25.75.-qComment: 38 pages, RevTeX with 21 included figures; Also available from http://www-kp3.gsi.de/www/kp3/aladin_publications.htm

Thermal and Chemical Freeze-out in Spectator Fragmentation

Isotope temperatures from double ratios of hydrogen, helium, lithium, beryllium, and carbon isotopic yields, and excited-state temperatures from yield ratios of particle-unstable resonances in 4He, 5Li, and 8Be, were determined for spectator fragmentation, following collisions of 197Au with targets ranging from C to Au at incident energies of 600 and 1000 MeV per nucleon. A deviation of the isotopic from the excited-state temperatures is observed which coincides with the transition from residue formation to multi-fragment production, suggesting a chemical freeze-out prior to thermal freeze-out in bulk disintegrations.Comment: 14 pages, 10 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. C, small changes as suggested by the editors and referee

Isospin dependent multifragmentation of relativistic projectiles

The N/Z dependence of projectile fragmentation at relativistic energies has been studied with the ALADIN forward spectrometer at the GSI Schwerionen Synchrotron (SIS). Stable and radioactive Sn and La beams with an incident energy of 600 MeV per nucleon have been used in order to explore a wide range of isotopic compositions. For the interpretation of the data, calculations with the statistical multifragmentation model for a properly chosen ensemble of excited sources were performed. The parameters of the ensemble, representing the variety of excited spectator nuclei expected in a participant-spectator scenario, are determined empirically by searching for an optimum reproduction of the measured fragment-charge distributions and correlations. An overall very good agreement is obtained. The possible modification of the liquid-drop parameters of the fragment description in the hot freeze-out environment is studied, and a significant reduction of the symmetry-term coefficient is found necessary to reproduce the mean neutron-to-proton ratios /Z and the isoscaling parameters of Z<=10 fragments. The calculations are, furthermore, used to address open questions regarding the modification of the surface-term coefficient at freeze-out, the N/Z dependence of the nuclear caloric curve, and the isotopic evolution of the spectator system between its formation during the initial cascade stage of the reaction and its subsequent breakup.Comment: 23 pages, 29 figures, published in Physical Review

Isotopic Dependence of the Nuclear Caloric Curve

The A/Z dependence of projectile fragmentation at relativistic energies has been studied with the ALADIN forward spectrometer at SIS. A stable beam of 124Sn and radioactive beams of 124La and 107Sn at 600 MeV per nucleon have been used in order to explore a wide range of isotopic compositions. Chemical freeze-out temperatures are found to be nearly invariant with respect to the A/Z of the produced spectator sources, consistent with predictions for expanded systems. Small Coulomb effects (\Delta T \approx 0.6 MeV) appear for residue production near the onset of multifragmentation.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publ. in Phys. Rev. Let

Tracing a phase transition with fluctuations of the largest fragment size: Statistical multifragmentation models and the ALADIN S254 data

A phase transition signature associated with cumulants of the largest fragment size distribution has been identified in statistical multifragmentation models and examined in analysis of the ALADIN S254 data on fragmentation of neutron-poor and neutron-rich projectiles. Characteristics of the transition point indicated by this signature are weakly dependent on the A/Z ratio of the fragmenting spectator source. In particular, chemical freeze-out temperatures are estimated within the range 5.9 to 6.5 MeV. The experimental results are well reproduced by the SMM model.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, Proceedings of the International Workshop on Multifragmentation and Related Topics (IWM2009), Catania, Italy, November 2009

Discriminant Analysis and Secondary-Beam Charge Recognition

The discriminant-analysis method has been applied to optimize the exotic-beam charge recognition in a projectile fragmentation experiment. The experiment was carried out at the GSI using the fragment separator (FRS) to produce and select the relativistic secondary beams, and the ALADIN setup to measure their fragmentation products following collisions with Sn target nuclei. The beams of neutron poor isotopes around 124La and 107Sn were selected to study the isospin dependence of the limiting temperature of heavy nuclei by comparing with results for stable 124Sn projectiles. A dedicated detector to measure the projectile charge upstream of the reaction target was not used, and alternative methods had to be developed. The presented method, based on the multivariate discriminant analysis, allowed to increase the efficacy of charge recognition up to about 90%, which was about 20% more than achieved with the simple scalar methods.Comment: 6 pages, 7 eps figures, elsart, submitted to Nucl. Instr. and Meth.

Gross Properties and Isotopic Phenomena in Spectator Fragmentation

A systematic study of isotopic effects in the break-up of projectile spectators at relativistic energies has been performed with the ALADiN spectrometer at the GSI laboratory. Searching for signals of criticality in the fragment production we have applied the model independent universal fluctuations theory already proposed to track criticality signals in multifragmentation to our data. The fluctuation of the largest fragment charge and of the asymmetry of the two and three largest fragments and their bimodal distribution have also been analysed.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, IX International Conference on Nucleus-Nucleus Collisions, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, August 28 - September 1, 200

Mass and Isospin Effects in Multifragmentation

A systematic study of isospin effects in the breakup of projectile spectators at relativistic energies has been performed with the ALADiN spectrometer at the GSI laboratory (Darmstadt). Four different projectiles 197Au, 124La, 124Sn and 107Sn, all with an incident energy of 600 AMeV, have been used, thus allowing a study of various combinations of masses and N/Z ratios in the entrance channel. The measurement of the momentum vector and of the charge of all projectile fragments with Z>1 entering the acceptance of the ALADiN magnet has been performed with the high efficiency and resolution achieved with the TP-MUSIC IV detector. The Rise and Fall behavior of the mean multiplicity of IMFs as a function of Zbound and its dependence on the isotopic composition has been determined for the studied systems. Other observables investigated so far include mean N/Z values of the emitted light fragments and neutron multiplicities. Qualitative agreement has been obtained between the observed gross properties and the predictions of the Statistical Multifragmentation Model.Comment: 10 pages,7 figure, 18th Nuclear Physics Division Conference of the EPS, Prague, submitted to Nucl. Phys.

Neutron recognition in the LAND detector for large neutron multiplicity

The performance of the LAND neutron detector is studied. Using an event-mixing technique based on one-neutron data obtained in the S107 experiment at the GSI laboratory, we test the efficiency of various analytic tools used to determine the multiplicity and kinematic properties of detected neutrons. A new algorithm developed recently for recognizing neutron showers from spectator decays in the ALADIN experiment S254 is described in detail. Its performance is assessed in comparison with other methods. The properties of the observed neutron events are used to estimate the detection efficiency of LAND in this experiment.Comment: 16 pages, 8 figure