144 research outputs found
Liquid-gas phase transition in nuclei in the relativistic Thomas-Fermi theory
The equation of state (EOS) of finite nuclei is constructed in the
relativistic Thomas-Fermi theory using the non-linear
model. The caloric curves are calculated by confining the nuclei in the
freeze-out volume taken to be a sphere of size about 4 to 8 times the normal
nuclear volume. The results obtained from the relativistic theory are not
significantly different from those obtained earlier in a non-relativistic
framework. The nature of the EOS and the peaked structure of the specific heat
obtained from the caloric curves show clear signals of a liquid-gas phase
transition in finite nuclei. The temperature evolution of the Gibbs potential
and the entropy at constant pressure indicate that the characteristics of the
transition are not too different from the first-order one.Comment: RevTex file(19 pages) and 12 psfiles for fugures. Physical Review C
(in Press
Tracing the Evolution of Temperature in Near Fermi Energy Heavy Ion Collisions
The kinetic energy variation of emitted light clusters has been employed as a
clock to explore the time evolution of the temperature for thermalizing
composite systems produced in the reactions of 26A, 35A and 47A MeV Zn
with Ni, Mo and Au. For each system investigated, the
double isotope ratio temperature curve exhibits a high maximum apparent
temperature, in the range of 10-25 MeV, at high ejectile velocity. These
maximum values increase with increasing projectile energy and decrease with
increasing target mass. The time at which the maximum in the temperature curve
is reached ranges from 80 to 130 fm/c after contact. For each different target,
the subsequent cooling curves for all three projectile energies are quite
similar. Temperatures comparable to those of limiting temperature systematics
are reached 30 to 40 fm/c after the times corresponding to the maxima, at a
time when AMD-V transport model calculations predict entry into the final
evaporative or fragmentation stage of de-excitation of the hot composite
systems. Evidence for the establishment of thermal and chemical equilibrium is
discussed.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figure
Properties of the Initial Participant Matter Interaction Zone in Near Fermi-Energy Heavy Ion Collisions
The sizes, temperatures and free neutron to proton ratios of the initial
interaction zones produced in the collisions of 40 MeV/nucleon Ar +
Sn and 55 MeV/nucleonAl + Sn are derived using total
detected neutron plus charged particle multiplicity as a measure of the impact
parameter range and number of participant nucleons. The size of the initial
interaction zone, determined from a coalescence model analysis, increases
significantly with decreasing impact parameter. The temperatures and free
neutron to proton ratios in the interaction zones are relatively similar for
different impact parameter ranges and evolve in a similar fashion.Comment: 7 pages, 8 figure
Equation of state and phase transitions in asymmetric nuclear matter
The structure of the 3-dimension pressure-temperature-asymmetry surface of
equilibrium of the asymmetric nuclear matter is studied within the thermal
Thomas-Fermi approximation. Special attention is paid to the difference of the
asymmetry parameter between the boiling sheet and that of the condensation
sheet of the surface of equilibrium. We derive the condition of existence of
the regime of retrograde condensation at the boiling of the asymmetric nuclear
matter. We have performed calculations of the caloric curves in the case of
isobaric heating. We have shown the presence of the plateau region in caloric
curves at the isobaric heating of the asymmetric nuclear matter. The shape of
the caloric curve depends on the pressure and is sensitive to the value of the
asymmetry parameter. We point out that the experimental value of the plateau
temperature T \approx 7 MeV corresponds to the pressure P = 0.01 MeV/fm^3 at
the isobaric boiling.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.
Caloric Curves and Nuclear Expansion
Nuclear caloric curves have been analyzed using an expanding Fermi gas
hypothesis to extract average nuclear densities. In this approach the observed
flattening of the caloric curves reflects progressively increasing expansion
with increasing excitation energy. This expansion results in a corresponding
decrease in the density and Fermi energy of the excited system. For nuclei of
medium to heavy mass apparent densities ~ 0.4 rho_0 are reached at the higher
excitation energies.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Critical Behavior in Light Nuclear Systems: Experimental Aspects
An extensive experimental survey of the features of the disassembly of a
small quasi-projectile system with 36, produced in the reactions of 47
MeV/nucleon Ar + Al, Ti and Ni, has been carried
out. Nuclei in the excitation energy range of 1-9 MeV/u have been investigated
employing a new method to reconstruct the quasi-projectile source. At an
excitation energy 5.6 MeV/nucleon many observables indicate the presence
of maximal fluctuations in the de-excitation processes. The fragment
topological structure shows that the rank sorted fragments obey Zipf's law at
the point of largest fluctuations providing another indication of a liquid gas
phase transition. The caloric curve for this system shows a monotonic increase
of temperature with excitation energy and no apparent plateau. The temperature
at the point of maximal fluctuations is MeV. Taking this
temperature as the critical temperature and employing the caloric curve
information we have extracted the critical exponents , and
from the data. Their values are also consistent with the values of the
universality class of the liquid gas phase transition. Taken together, this
body of evidence strongly suggests a phase change in an equilibrated mesoscopic
system at, or extremely close to, the critical point.Comment: Physical Review C, in press; some discussions about the validity of
excitation energy in peripheral collisions have been added; 24 pages and 32
figures; longer abstract in the preprin
Evidence of Critical Behavior in the Disassembly of Nuclei with A ~ 36
A wide variety of observables indicate that maximal fluctuations in the
disassembly of hot nuclei with A ~ 36 occur at an excitation energy of 5.6 +-
0.5 MeV/u and temperature of 8.3 +- 0.5 MeV. Associated with this point of
maximal fluctuations are a number of quantitative indicators of apparent
critical behavior. The associated caloric curve does not appear to show a
flattening such as that seen for heavier systems. This suggests that, in
contrast to similar signals seen for liquid-gas transitions in heavier nuclei,
the observed behavior in these very light nuclei is associated with a
transition much closer to the critical point.Comment: v2: Major changes, new model calculations, new figure
A Ghoshal-like Test of Equilibration in Near-Fermi-Energy Heavy Ion Collisions
Calorimetric and coalescence techniques have been employed to probe
equilibration for hot nuclei produced in heavy ion collisions of 35 to 55 MeV/u
projectiles with medium mass targets. Entrance channel mass asymmetries and
energies were selected in order that very hot composite nuclei of similar mass
and excitation would remain after early stage pre-equilibrium particle
emission. Inter-comparison of the properties and de-excitation patterns for
these different systems provides evidence for the production of hot nuclei with
decay patterns relatively independent of the specific entrance channel.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figure
Caloric curves and critical behavior in nuclei
Data from a number of different experimental measurements have been used to
construct caloric curves for five different regions of nuclear mass. These
curves are qualitatively similar and exhibit plateaus at the higher excitation
energies. The limiting temperatures represented by the plateaus decrease with
increasing nuclear mass and are in very good agreement with results of recent
calculations employing either a chiral symmetry model or the Gogny interaction.
This agreement strongly favors a soft equation of state. Evidence is presented
that critical excitation energies and critical temperatures for nuclei can be
determined over a large mass range when the mass variations inherent in many
caloric curve measurements are taken into account.Comment: In response to referees comments we have improved the discussion of
the figures and added a new figure showing the relationship between the
effective level density and the excitation energy. The discussion has been
reordered and comments are made on recent data which support the hypothesis
of a mass dependence of caloric curve
Towards the critical behavior for the light nuclei by NIMROD detector
The critical behavior for the light nuclei with A has been
investigated experimentally by the NIMROD multi-detectors. The wide variety of
observables indicate the critical point has been reached in the disassembly of
hot nuclei at an excitation energy of 5.60.5 MeV/u.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures; Proceeding of 18th Nuclear Physics Division
Conference of the Euro. Phys. Society (NPDC18) "Phase transitions in strongly
interacting matter", Prague, 23.8.-29.8. 2004. To be published in Nuclear
Physics
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