From binary breakup to multifragmentation: Computer simulation

Abstract

A semiclassical model developed for the computer simulation of nuclear reactions is applied to the problem of fragmentation in proton and heavy ion induced reactions. Simulations based on the model are used to follow the time evolution of the reactions in both coordinate and phase space as well as to calculate correlations for quantities such as fragment positions and masses. Three reactions are selected for detailed study: p+Ag at 300 MeV, and Ca+Ca at 25 and 50 MeV/nucleon bombarding energy. It is shown that the behavior expected for these reactions from the mechanical instability properties of nuclear matter is supported by the simulations. An experimental measure of the change from binary breakup to multifragmentation is shown to be the two-particle correlation function in mass.