Effective nucleon mass and the nuclear caloric curve

Abstract

Assuming a schematic form of the nucleon effective mass as a function of nuclear excitation energy and mass, we provide a simple explanation for understanding the experimentally observed mass dependence of the nuclear caloric curve. It is observed that the excitation energy at which the caloric curve enters into a plateau region, could be sensitive to the nuclear mass evolution of the effective nucleon mass.

5 pages, 5 figures, Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. C. Minor changes made