Droplet formation in expanding nuclear matter: A system-size dependent study

W. Reisdorf, F. Rami, B. De Schauenburg, Y. Leifels, J. P. Alard, A. Andronic, V. Barret, Z. Basrak, N. Bastid, M. L. Benabderrahmane, R. Čaplar, P. Crochet, P. Dupieux, M. Dželalija, Z. Fodor, A. Gobbi, Y. Grishkin, O. N. Hartmann, N. Herrmann, K. D. HildenbrandB. Hong, J. Kecskemeti, Y. J. Kim, M. Kirejczyk, P. Koczoń, M. Korolija, R. Kotte, T. Kress, A. Lebedev, X. Lopez, M. Merschmeyer, J. Mösner, W. Neubert, D. Pelte, M. Petrovici, A. Schüttauf, Z. Seres, B. Sikora, K. S. Sim, V. Simion, K. Siwek-Wilczyńska, V. Smolyankin, M. Stockmeier, G. Stoicea, Z. Tymiński, P. Wagner, K. Wiśniewski, D. Wohlfarth, Z. G. Xiao, I. Yushmanov, A. Zhilin

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    17 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Cluster production is investigated in central collisions of Ca+Ca, Ni+Ni, 96Zr+96Zr, 96Ru+96Ru, Xe+CsI and Au+Au reactions at 0.4 AGeV incident energy. We find that the multiplicity of clusters with charge Z≥3 grows quadratically with the system's total charge and is associated with a midrapidity source with increasing transverse velocity fluctuations. When reduced to the same number of available charges, an increase of cluster production by about a factor of 5.5 is observed in the midrapidity region between the lightest system (Ca+Ca) and the heaviest one (Au+Au). The results, as well as simulations using quantum molecular dynamics, suggest a collision process where droplets, i.e., nucleon clusters, are created in an expanding, gradually cooling, nucleon gas. Within this picture, expansion dynamics, collective radial flow and cluster formation are closely linked as a result of the combined action of nucleon-nucleon scatterings and the mean fields.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)118-126
    Number of pages9
    JournalPhysics Letters, Section B: Nuclear, Elementary Particle and High-Energy Physics
    Volume595
    Issue number1-4
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2004 Aug 12

    Bibliographical note

    Funding Information:
    This work was supported in part by the French–German agreement between GSI and IN2P3/CEA (project No. 97-27).

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Nuclear and High Energy Physics

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