Th. Blaich

Universality of spectator fragmentation at relativistic bombarding energies

Abstract Multi-fragment decays of 129Xe, 197Au and 238U projectiles in collisions with Be, C, Al, Cu, In, Au and U targets at energies between E A = 400 and 1000 MeV have been studied with the ALADIN forward-spectrometer at SIS. By adding an array of 84 SiCsI(Tl) telescopes the solid-angle coverage of the setup was extended to θlab = 16°. This permitted the complete detection of fragments from the projectile-spectator source. The dominant feature of the systematic set of data is the Zbound universality that is obeyed by the fragment multiplicities and correlations. These observables are invariant with respect to the entrance channel if plotted as a function of Zbound, where Zbound is the sum of the atomic numbers Zi of all projectile fragments with Zi ⩾ 2. No significant dependence on the bombarding energy nor on the target mass is observed. The dependence of the fragment multiplicity on the projectile mass follows a linear scaling law. The reasons for and the limits of the observed universality of spectator fragmentation are explored within the realm of the available data and with model studies. It is found that the universal properties should persist up to much higher bombarding energies than explored in this work and that they are consistent with universal features exhibited by the intranuclear cascade and statistical multifragmentation models.

A Large area detector for high-energy neutrons

Abstract We present design studies, results of test measurements, and Monte Carlo simulations which served as a basis for the realization of a large area neutron detector (LAND). It has a front area of 2m×2m and a depth of 1 m, and features a multilayer structure of passive converter and active scintillator material. The detector is subdivided in independently operating paddles which allow time-of-flight and position measurement. An energy resolution of ΔT n / T n =5.3% for a flight path of 15 m and an overall detection efficiency of ϵ ≈ 1 is anticipated for neutrons with T n ≈ 1 GeV. The operation of LAND at the SIS facility of GSI is described.

A highly-segmented ΔE-time-of-flight wall as forward detector of the 4π-system for charged particles at the SIS/ESR accelerator

Abstract At the SIS/ESR accelerator facility at GSI in Darmstadt the 4π-detector system FOPI is under construction at present. It is designed for the investigation of central collisions of heavy ions in the energy range up to 2 A GeV. As phase I of this detector a forward wall has been built and used in various experiments. It comprizes a total number of 764 scintillators with an additional shell of 188 thin ΔE -detectors in front of it and covers the full azimuth of the polar angles from 1° to 30°. The velocity and the nuclear charge of the fragments are determined by a combined time-of-flight and ΔE measurement.

Evidence for collective expansion in light-particle emission following Au+Au collisions at 100, 150 and 250 A·MeV

Abstract Light-particle emission from Au+Au collisions has been studied in the bombarding-energy range 100–250 A ·MeV, using ΔE − E R telescopes in coincidence with the FOPI detector in its phase I configuration. Center-of-mass energy spectra have been measured for Z = 1,2 isotopes emitted in central collisions at CM polar angles between 60° and 90°. Evidence for a collective expansion is reported, on the basis of the mean kinetic energies of hydrogen isotopes. Comparison is presented with statistical calculations (WIX code). For CM kinetic energy spectra, fair agreement is found between data and a recently developed transport model.

Sideward flow in Au + Au collisions at 400 A.MeV

Abstract We present new experimental data obtained with the FOPI detector at SIS, for the Au + Au heavy-ion collisions at 400 A MeV incident energy. The sideward flow, determined from a method without reaction-plane reconstruction, and the nuclear stopping are studied as a function of the centrality of the collisions. In order to study the nuclear in-medium effects, which act on the NN cross sections and potential and hence on experimental observables like the nuclear-matter flow and stopping, these results are compared with the predictions of two different QMD versions. The first one offers a fully microscopic calculation of the cross sections and potential in the G-matrix formalism and naturally includes the in-medium effects (this version is for the first time confronted with experiment). The second one uses a standard Skyrme potential plus a momentum-dependent term in order to mimic the in-medium effects.

Longitudinal and transverse momentum distributions of 9Li fragments from break-up of 11Li

Transverse and longitudinal momentum distributions of Li-9 fragments from Li-11 break-up reactions in C, Al and Pb targets have been measured at 280 MeV/u. The two-neutron removal cross-section was measured to be sigma(-2n), = 0.26 +/- 0.02 b for the carbon target, sigma(-2n) = 0.47 +/- 0.08 b for the aluminum target and sigma(-2n), = 1.9 +/- 0.4 b for the lead target. No significant difference is observed between the narrow widths (FWHM approximate to 47 MeV/c) of the transverse and longitudinal momentum distributions of the Li-9 fragments. The physical implications of this are discussed.

Two-phonon giant dipole resonance in 208Pb☆

Abstract Excitation of the two-phonon isovector giant dipole resonance was observed in 208Pb projectiles incident on different target nuclei (C, Sn, Ho, Pb, U) at high energy (640 A·MeV). Evidence is found for a two-step electromagnetic excitation mechanism. An enhancement of 1.33(16) for the excitation cross section is observed relative to the harmonic approximation. Neutron- and γ-decay probabilities are derived as well.

Out-of-plane emission of nuclear matter in Au+Au collisions between 100 and 800 AMeV

Abstract We present new experimental results concerning the azimuthal distributions of proton-likes, light and intermediate mass fragments at midrapidity for Au(100–800 A MeV) +Au collisions measured with the FOPI phase-I detector at GSI in Darmstadt. The azimuthal distributions are investigated as a function of the collision centrality, the incident energy, the fragment charge and transverse momentum. The azimuthal anisotropy is maximum for impact parameters around 7 fm. Intermediate mass fragments present a stronger out-of-plane emission signal than light fragments and a saturation is reached for Z ⩾ 4. The azimuthal anisotropy increases with the fragment transverse momentum and decreases as the incident energy increases. The azimuthal anisotropy of Z = 2 particles investigated as a function of the scaled fragment transverse momentum follows an universal curve for bombarding energies between 250–800 A MeV. A signature for a transition from in-plane to out-of-plane emission is evidenced at the lowest beam energies.

Energy dependence of collective flow of neutrons and protons in197Au+197Au collisions

We investigate the beam energy dependence of neutron and proton squeeze-out in collisions of197Au+197Au atE/A=400—800 MeV. The azimuthal anisotropy that describes the enhanced emission of mid-rapidity neutrons perpendicular to the reaction plane rises strongly with the transverse momentum of the neutrons. This dependence of the azimuthal anisotropy follows a universal curve — independent of beam energy — if the neutron momenta are measured in fractions of the projectile momentum per mass unit. Analogously, the kinetic energy spectra of mid-rapidity neutrons exhibit a universal behaviour as a function of the kinetic energy of the projectile.

Neutron Momentum Distributions from Core Break-up Reactions of Halo Nuclei

Neutron angular distributions from violent break-up reactions of Li-11 and Be-11 have been measured at 28 MeV/u and 280 MeV/u and at 41 MeV/u and 460 MeV/u, respectively. The derived neutron momentum distributions show a narrow component in transverse momentum that is within uncertainties independent of beam energy and target charge. This component is suggested to be simply related to the momentum distribution of the loosely bound halo neutron(s) in the projectiles.