Fragmentation cross sections of16O at 60 and 200 GeV/nucleon

We used CR39 plastic nuclear track detectors (C₁₂H₁₈O₇) in combination with automatic track measurement to determine total charge changing and partial cross sections for the production of fragments of chargeZ=6 andZ=7 in collisions of¹⁶O beam nuclei at energies of 60 GeV/nucleon and 200 GeV/nucleon in targets H, C, CR39, CH₂, Al, Cu, Ag and Pb. Total charge changing cross sections due to the process of electromagnetic dissociation are calculated based on a theoretical model and found to be consistent with total and partial electromagnetic dissociation cross sections derived from this experiment. The energy dependence of pure nuclear fragmentation is investigated.     

Coulomb and photo cross sections for nucleon emission from relativistic O projectiles

Coulomb cross sections for nucleon emission out of ¹⁶O projectiles scattered with laboratory energies of 2.1, 60 and 200 GeV/nucleon on various target nuclei are calculated in first-order perturbation theory by using the corresponding photo cross sections. The photo cross sections are obtained with an 1-particle-1-hole basis in the giant resonance region and with the quasi-deuteron model up to photon energies of 140 MeV. Whereas the 2.1 GeV/nucleon results agree well with the experimental data points, the 60 and 200 GeV/nucleon cross sections are roughly one quarter lower than the measured ones, because also photons with energies higher than 140 MeV contribute at these incident energies.     

A quark signature in the nuclear fireball model of heavy ion collisions

It seems possible that a definite quark matter signature may be observed in the near future in nuclear heavy ion collisions. For example, in experiments yielding a fireball temperature of at least 180 MeV, a lab energy of ～ 11 GeV/nucleon must be reached for a ²⁰Ne + U collision. These energies should be sufficient to produce quark matter in the fireball. The signature of this transition is observed by comparing particle spectra at higher energies. It is expected that once quark matter is reached the spectrum will remain constant at temperature greater than ～ 180 MeV, rather than continue to change with energy.     

Measurement of the elliptic flux of Z ⩾ 2 charged particles in collisions of relativistic nuclei with photoemulsion nuclei

The azimuthal asymmetry is measured for the emission of Z ≥ 2 particles from the interaction of ²²Ne, ²⁴Mg, ³²S, ⁵⁶Fe, ¹⁹⁷Au, and ²⁰⁷Pb nuclei with photoemulsion nuclei that is induced by semicentral collisions characterized by projectile energies in the range E _pr = 1.88–200 GeV per nucleon and by impact-parameter (b) values in the range 0.12 ≤ b/b _max ≤ 0.70. The results of these measurements are compared with the results of similar measurements for protons. It is found that, at a low energy of E _pr ≈ 2 GeV per nucleon, the ratio of the azimuthal-anisotropy coefficients v ₂ for Z ≥ 2 particles and protons is 6 ± 2, but that, for energies in the region E _pr ≥ 4 GeV per nucleon, the coefficients in question agree with each other. This may suggest that, at low energies, Z ≥ 2 particles are predominantly formed at an early stage of the development of a collective flow. For E _pr ≥ 4 GeV per nucleon, these particles are presumably formed at the stage of nuclear-matter expansion. Other possible explanations for the results of the observation of an elliptic flux of Z ≥ 2 particles are discussed.     

Two-dimensional multiplicity fluctuation analysis of target residues in nuclear collisions

Multiplicity fluctuation of the target residues emitted in the interactions in a wide range of projectile energies from 500 A MeV to 60 A GeV is investigated in the framework of two-dimensional scaled factorial moment methodology.The evidence of non-statistical multiplicity fluctuation is found in 16 O-AgBr collisions at 60 A GeV,but not in 56 Fe-AgBr collisions at 500 A MeV,84 Kr-AgBr collisions at 1.7 A GeV,16 O-AgBr collisions at 3.7 A GeV and 197 Au-AgBr collisions at 10.7 A GeV.     

Measurement of the azimuthal anisotropy coefficient <Emphasis Type="Italic">v</Emphasis><Subscript>2</Subscript> for the emission of α particles in nucleus-nucleus collisions at energies 1.88–10.6 GeV/nucleon

The azimuthal anisotropy of the emission of α particles in collisions of the ²²Ne, ²⁴Mg, ⁵⁶Fe, and ¹⁹⁷Au nuclei with photoemulsion nuclei has been measured at projectile energies E_pr = 1.88–10.6 GeV/nucleon. The results are compared with similar measurements for protons. It has been found that the ratio of the azimuthal anisotropy coefficients v₂ for α particles and protons is equal to 6 ± 2 at low energies E_pr ≈ 2 GeV/nucleon, whereas these coefficients coincide with each other for energies E_pr ≥ 4 GeV/nucleon. This difference may indicate that, at low projectile energies, α particles are formed predominantly at the early stage of a collective flow. Formation of α particles for E_pr ≥ 4 GeV/nucleon likely occurs at the stage of nuclear matter scattering.     

Energy dependence of peripheral reactions induced by heavy ions

Collisions of ¹⁶O ions on targets of ⁹⁴Zr, ¹⁹⁷Au, ²⁰⁸Pb, and ²³²Th are investigated at incident energies of 140 and 315 MeV and compared to published data on peripheral collisions at 33.6 GeV. At 140 MeV, the isotope-production cross sections resemble the ground-state Q-value systematics characteristic of a partially-equilibrated, di-nuclear system formed in deeply-inelastic scattering. The yields are independent of shell and pairing effects in the target and residual nuclie. These Q-value systematics fail at 315 MeV, where the relative element yields are similar to those at 33.6 GeV. A theory of projectile fragmentation accounts for the shapes of the inclusive energy spectra as well as for the isotope yields at both energies. The relative cross sections are target independent (i.e., factorize) for the data at 315 MeV incident energy, but limiting fragmentation (i.e. isotope yields independent of energy) applies only at higher energies. The differential cross sections peal at the grazing angle or decrease exponentially, depending on the incident energy and the mass of the ejectile; the distributions are described by classical trajectories and diffraction models for which the reaction time is estimated to be typical of direct reactions. The kinetic energies of the reaction products depend primarily on their charge and only slightly on their mass number. For the 315 MeV results, the velocities of the reaction products at the maximum of the spectrum and the grazing angle are slightly less than the beam velocity and decrease rapidly for larger scattering angles. The results are interpreted with simple fraction and fragmentation models, and are compared to observations at 33.6 GeV.     

Isospin aspects in nuclear reactions involving Ca beams at 25 MeV/nucleon

Isospin dependence of dynamical and thermodynamical properties observed in reactions ⁴⁰Ca+ ^40,48Ca and ⁴⁰Ca + ⁴⁶Ti at 25 MeV/nucleon has been studied. We used the CHIMERA multi-detector array. Strong isospin effects are seen in the isotopic distributions of light nuclei and in the competition between different reaction mechanisms in semi-central collisions. We will show also preliminary results obtained in nuclear collision ⁴⁸Ca + ⁴⁸Ca at 25MeV/nucleon, having very high N/Z value in the entrance channel (N/Z = 1.4). The enhancement of evaporation residue production confirms the strong role played by the N/Z degree of freedom in nuclear dynamics.     

Intermediate mass fragment emission in Boltzmann master equation theory of pre-equilibrium reactions

A coalescence model originally proposed to account for the emission of nucleons and light particles in nuclear reactions is extended to account for intermediate mass fragment (IMF) emission. This theory uses a set of Boltzmann master equations to evaluate the time evolution of the occupation probability of nucleon states in the course of the de-excitation cascade during which the IMF are emitted. The internal structure of the IMF and the depletion of nucleon states due to IMF emission are explicitly considered. The theoretical predictions reproduce satisfactorily the experimental multiplicity spectra measured in central collisions of³⁶Ar ions with¹⁹⁷Au at incident energies of 35 MeV/nucleon.     

Transverse-momentum distribution of <Emphasis Type="Italic">J</Emphasis>/<Emphasis Type="Italic">ψ</Emphasis> mesons produced in proton-nucleus and lead-lead interactions

The transverse-momentum and transverse-mass distributions of J/ψ mesons produced in proton-nucleus and lead-lead interactions at 400 GeV and 158 GeV/nucleon, respectively, were measured in the NA50 experiment. The change in these distributions with increasing centrality is studied for various interaction energies. Data obtained in the NA38 experiment for collisions of light nuclei at 200 GeV per nucleon is also used in the present analysis. Investigation of the transverse-momentum and transverse-mass distributions of J/ψ particles can provide additional information about the properties of the phase transition of ordinary nuclear matter to quark-gluon plasma.     

Experimental investigation of charge-exchange processes involving a target proton in <Superscript>16</Superscript>O<Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis> collisions at a momentum of 3.25 GeV/<Emphasis Type="Italic">c</Emphasis> per nucleon

For the first time, charge-exchange processes involving a target proton in ¹⁶Op collisions at a momentum of 3.25 GeV/c per nucleon are studied under conditions of 4π geometry. New data on the mean multiplicities fragments and pions, as well as on inelastic cross sections for topological channels of the fragmentation of an oxygen nucleus in charge-exchange reactions involving a target proton that either are accompanied or are not accompanied by charge transfer to a projectile nucleus, are presented. It is shown that, in ¹⁶Op interactions at high energies, charge transfer from a target proton to a projectile nucleus proceeds predominantly via inelastic proton scattering on a neutron of the oxygen nucleus.     

Backward yields of pions,protons, and deuterons in relativistic 28Si+Pb collisions at 14.6 A GeVc

The production of pions, protons and deuterons is studied at a laboratory angle of 144° in ²⁸Si+Pb collisions at 14.6 GeV/c per nucleon. The centrality dependence of the pion yields is studied over the full impact parameter range using a zero degree calorimeter. The results are compared with the hadronic cascade model RQMD. These calculations are generally in agreement with the experimental results. According to these calculations, the pion yield in our acceptance is completely dominated by Δ-decay at freeze-out. Our measurements thus support the importance of baryon resonance production as one of the central features of relativistic heavy ion collisions at AGS energies. Although the strength of the pion spectrum is adequately described for kinetic energies above 50 MeV, an additional very soft component is observed in the pion spectra which is not predicted by RQMD. This very soft component accounts for a significant fraction of the total pion yield in this rapidity range but remains unexplained.     

Resonance structure in the γγ invariant mass spectrum in pC, dC, and dCu interactions

Along with ?? ⁰ and ?? mesons, a resonance structure in the invariant mass spectrum of two photons atM _??? = 360 ± 7 ± 9 MeV is observed in dC interactions at momentum 2.75 GeV/c per nucleon. This resonance structure is not observed in pC collisions at the beam momentum 5.5 GeV/c. The result obtained in the reaction dC is confirmed by the second experiment carried out on the deuteron beam at momentum 3.83 GeV/c per nucleon with a copper target. Some other checks of the observed effect are presented.     

Inclusive excitation-energy distributions of hot nuclei from 44 MeV/nucleon Ar- and 32 MeV/nucleon Kr-induced reactions

Inclusive neutron multiplicity distributions were measured by means of 4π liquid-scintillator detectors for Ar and Kr-induced reactions at 44 MeV/nucleon and 32 MeV/nucleon, respectively. For all the systems studied, the observed distributions exhibit a bump structure at large multiplicity, corresponding to highly dissipative collisions. For Ar-induced reactions, the excitation energies necessary to explain the most probable neutron multiplicity associated with these dissipative collisions are estimated, the correspondence between excitation energy and neutron multiplicity being calculated in the framework of the statistical model. The so-obtained values of excitation energies, which are systematically lower than those predicted using the massive-transfer picture, are discussed.     

Production cross sections of multiply charged fragments in heavy ion interactions at 150–200 MeV/nucleon

A total of 1720 ¹⁶O-emulsion nucleus interactions at 150–200 MeV/nucleon have been investigated. Production cross sections of multiply charged projectile fragments are given. It is found that the cross section for the production of N, C, B and Be projectile fragments in ¹⁶O-nucleus interactions is similar at 0.2 and 2 GeV/nucleon. The fragmentation cross sections for Li and He are larger at 0.2 than at 2 GeV/nucleon.     

Directed and elliptic flow in 197Au+197Au at intermediate energies

Directed and elliptic flow for the ¹⁹⁷Au+¹⁹⁷Au system at incident energies between 40 and 150 MeV per nucleon has been measured using the INDRA 4π multi-detector. For semi-central collisions, the excitation function of elliptic flow shows a transition from in-plane to out-of-plane emission at around 100 MeV per nucleon. The directed flow changes sign at a bombarding energy between 50 and 60 MeV per nucleon and remains negative at lower energies. Molecular dynamics calculations (CHIMERA) indicate sensitivity of the global squeeze-out transition on the σ _NN and demonstrate the importance of angular momentum conservation in transport codes at low energies.     

Fragmentation cross sections of32S at 0.7, 1.2 and 200 GeV/nucleon

We used CR39 plastic nuclear track detectors (C₁₂H₁₈O₇) in combination with automatic track measurement techniques to determine total charge changing and partial cross sections for the production of fragments of chargeZ _F =6 toZ _F =15 in collisions of³²S beam nuclei at energies of 0.7, 1.2 and 200 GeV/nucleon in targets H, C, CR39, CH₂, Al, Cu, Ag and Pb. By application of factorization rules measured partial cross sections are separated into pure nuclear and electromagnetic components. Total and partial cross sections for electromagnetic dissociation are compared with theoretical models. The energy dependence of pure nuclear cross sections is investigated.     

Calculation of resonance reduced neutron widths by semiclassical description

Peripheral interactions of¹²C nuclei with protons and carbon nuclei have been investigated in a 2m propane bubble chamber at 4.2 GeV/c per nucleon. Energetic and angular characteristics ofγ-quanta accompanying the production of multicharged fragments withZ _f =5 and 6 have been analyzed. It is shown that in the fragment rest system there is an excess of γ-quanta with ε_γ<40 MeV over the background from known sources (π ⁰→2γ decays, bremsstrahlung and nuclear excitation).     

Light charged particle emission and fission in238U+238U collisions at 1,740 MeV

Inclusive⁴He and⁴H energy spectra and heavy fragment coincidence correlations have been measured for reactions of 7.31 MeV/u²³⁸U with²³⁸U and^?197Au targets. The H/He production cross sections are in the range 15–26 mb, and their emission spectra are very similar for the two systems. The observed strong kinematic shifts with angle are reproduced in shape and magnitude by Monte Carlo simulations of particle evaporation from projectile-like and target-like fragments, indicating competition between charged particle emission and sequential fission. No evidence is found for high energy charged particle emission associated with ultra-highZ composite systems. Heavy fragment measurements indicate an abundance of quasielastic and deeply inelastic reaction fragments, as well as sequential fission of target and projectile nuclei. For²³⁸U nuclei, the fission occurs predominantly in an asymmetric mode, reminiscent of fission at low excitation energy. For²³⁸+²³⁸U reactions in the vicinity of the grazing angle, the frequency of single sequential fission (with survival of the partner fragment) is twice as large as double sequential fission in which both the target and projectile undergo fission. In²³⁸U+¹⁹⁷Au reactions, the survival probability of the heavy fragments is even greater. The surprisingly high survival probabilities of high-Z fragments imply a preponderance of very soft collisions in these very-heavy-ion reactions, at least at energies not very far over the Coulomb barrier.     

Formation time of hadrons and density of matter produced in relativistic heavy-ion collisions

Density of matter produced in relativistic heavy-ion collisions depends substantially on the spacetime evolution of the collision and on the formation time of hadrons produced. Interactions of hadrons younger than their formation time are attenuated with respect to their normal values (transparency of hadronic matter for newly formed hadrons). The system of secondary hadrons produced in a heavy-ion collision thus expands as a gas of almost non interacting particles before hadrons reach their formation time. Densities of interacting hadronic matter produced in oxygen-lead and sulphur-lead collisions at 200 GeV/nucleon are estimated as a function of the formation time of hadrons. Uncertainties in our knowledge of the critical temepratureT _c and of the formation time of hadrons τ₀ permit at present three scenarios: an optimistic one (QGP has already been produced in collisions of oxygen and sulphur with heavy ions and will be copiously produced in Lead collisions), a pessimistic one (QGP cannot be produced at 200 GeV/nucleon) and an intermediate one (QGP has not been produced in oxygen and sulphur interactions with heavy ions and will be at best produced only marginally in Pb-collisions). We find the last opinion as most probable.