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Breakup densities of hot nuclei
V E Viola1, K Kwiatkowski, J B Natowitz
1Department of Chemistry and IUCF, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47405, USA.
Physical Review Letters
|November 5, 2004
Summary
Nuclear breakup densities were studied in excited gold-like nuclei. Results show density decreases with excitation energy, impacting nuclear temperature and caloric curve measurements.
Area of Science:
- Nuclear Physics
- Heavy-ion Collisions
- Nuclear Reaction Dynamics
Background:
- Understanding nuclear matter behavior under extreme conditions is crucial.
- Previous studies explored nuclear fragmentation and density changes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To deduce breakup densities of excited gold-like residues.
- To investigate the relationship between excitation energy and nuclear density.
- To compare derived nuclear temperatures with existing models.
Main Methods:
- Analyzing kinetic-energy spectra of intermediate-mass fragments.
- Fitting spectra using Coulomb parameters to determine nuclear density.
- Employing a density-dependent Fermi-gas model for temperature calculations.
Main Results:
- Nuclear residues emitted near normal density (< 2 MeV/nucleon excitation).
- Density decreased to approximately 0.3 times normal density for higher excitations (> 5 MeV/nucleon).
- Derived nuclear temperatures align with isotope ratio measurements.
Conclusions:
- Nuclear density significantly decreases with increasing excitation energy.
- The nuclear caloric curve is consistent with density-dependent models.
- This study provides insights into the equation of state for hot nuclear matter.