Yingxun Zhang

Probing the symmetry energy with heavy ions

Abstract Constraints on the EoS for symmetric matter (equal neutron and proton numbers) at supra-saturation densities have been extracted from energetic collisions of heavy ions. Collisions of neutron-deficient and neutron-rich heavy ions now provide initial constraints on the EoS of neutron-rich matter at sub-saturation densities. Comparisons are made to other available constraints.

Isospin diffusion and equilibration for Sn+Sn collisions at E/A=35 MeV

Equilibration and equilibration rates have been measured by colliding Sn nuclei with different isospin asymmetries at beam energies of E/A=35 MeV. Using the yields of mirror nuclei of {sup 7}Li and {sup 7}Be, we have studied the diffusion of isospin asymmetry by combining data from asymmetric {sup 112}Sn+{sup 124}Sn and {sup 124}Sn+{sup 112}Sn collisions with those from symmetric {sup 112}Sn+{sup 112}Sn and {sup 124}Sn+{sup 124}Sn collisions. We use these measurements to probe isospin equilibration in central collisions where nucleon-nucleon collisions are strongly blocked by the Pauli exclusion principle. The results are consistent with transport theoretical calculations that predict a degree of transparency in these collisions, but inconsistent with the emission of intermediate mass fragments by a single chemically equilibrated source. Comparisons with quantum molecular dynamics calculations are consistent with results obtained at higher incident energies that provide constraints on the density dependence of the symmetry energy.

Further development of the improved quantum molecular dynamics model and its application to fusion reactions near the barrier

The improved quantum molecular dynamics model is further developed by introducing new parameters in interaction potential energy functional based on Skyrme interaction of SkM(*) and SLy series. The properties of ground states of selected nuclei can be reproduced very well. The Coulomb barriers for a series of reaction systems are studied and compared with the results of the proximity potential. The fusion excitation functions for a series of fusion reactions are calculated and the results are in good agreement with experimental data.

Influence of Transport Variables on Isospin Transport Ratios

The symmetry energy in the nuclear equation of state affects many aspects of nuclear astrophysics, nuclear structure, and nuclear reactions. Recent constraints from heavy ion collisions, including isospin diffusion observables, have started to put constraints on the symmetry energy below nuclear saturation density, but these constraints depend on the employed transport model and input physics other than the symmetry energy. To understand these dependencies, we study the influence of the symmetry energy, isoscaler mean field compressibility and momentum dependence, in-medium nucleon-nucleon cross sections, and light cluster production on isospin diffusion within the pBUU transport code. In addition to the symmetry energy, several uncertain issues strongly affect isospin diffusion, most notably the cross sections and cluster production. In addition, there is a difference in the calculated isospin transport ratios, depending upon whether they are computed using the isospin asymmetry of either the residue or of all forward moving fragments. Measurements that compare the isospin transport ratios of these two quantities would help place constraints on the input physics, such as the density dependence of the symmetry energy.

In-medium NN cross sections determined from the nuclear stopping and collective flow in heavy-ion collisions at intermediate energies

In-medium nucleon-nucleon scattering cross sections are explored by comparing results of quantum molecular dynamics simulations to data on stopping and on elliptic and directed flow in intermediate-energy heavy-ion collisions. The comparison points to in-medium cross sections which are suppressed at low energies but not at higher energies. Positive correlations are found between the degree of stopping and the magnitudes of elliptic and directed flows. PACS numbers: 25.70.-z, 24.10.Lx, 21.65.+f

Constraints on the density dependence of the symmetry energy from heavy-ion collisions

Abstract Constraints on the equation of state (EoS) for symmetric matter (equal neutron and proton numbers) have been extracted from energetic collisions of heavy ions over a range of energies. Collisions of neutron-deficient and neutron-rich heavy ions now provide initial constraints on the EoS of neutron-rich matter at subsaturation densities from isospin diffusions and neutron proton ratios. This article reviews the experimental constraints on the density dependence of symmetry energy at subsaturation density.

Constraints on nucleon effective mass splitting with heavy ion collisions

A new version of the improved quantum molecular dynamics model has been developed to include standard Skyrme interactions. Four commonly used Skyrme parameter sets, SLy4, SkI2, SkM* and Gs are adopted in the transport model code to calculate the isospin diffusion observables as well as single and double ratios of transverse emitted nucleons. While isospin diffusion observables are sensitive to the symmetry energy term, they are not very sensitive to the nucleon effective mass splitting parameters in the interactions. Our calculations show that the high energy neutrons and protons and their ratios from reactions at different incident energies provide a robust observable to study the momentum dependence of the symmetry potential which leads to the effective mass splitting. However the sensitivity of effective mass splitting effect on the double n/p yield ratios decreases with increasing beam energy, even though high energy protons and neutrons are produced more abundantly at high beam energy. Our calculations show that the optimum incident energy to study nucleon effective masses is between 100–200 MeV per nucleon.

Influence of in-medium NN cross sections, symmetry potential, and impact parameter on isospin observables

We explore the influence of in-medium nucleon-nucleon cross section, symmetry potential and impact parameter on isospin sensitive observables in intermediate-energy heavy-ion collisions with the ImQMD05 code, a modified version of Quantum Molecular Dynamics model. At incident velocities above the Fermi velocity, we find that the density dependence of symmetry potential plays a more important role on the double neutron to proton ratio

Probing effective nucleon masses with heavy-ion collisions

DR(n/p)

Effect of isospin-dependent cluster recognition on the observables in heavy ion collisions

and the isospin transport ratio