Spectator Response to the Participant Blast

Abstract

The interplay between spectator and participant matter in heavy-ion collisions is investigated in the context of a microscopic transport model. Transport simulations show that flow patterns for the participant matter are strongly influenced by the presence of the nearby spectator matter. However, the influence is mutual. During the explosion of the participant zone, the spectator matter acquires a transverse momentum $<P^x/A>$ that shows sensitivity to the nuclear incompressibility and to the momentum dependence of the nuclear mean field (MF). An observed change in the net average momentum per nucleon, $\Delta |<\mathbf{P}/A>|$, can be associated with the momentum dependence of the MF. For a momentum-dependent MF and a low impact parameter in a heavy system, the spectators may emerge faster than in the initial state, accelerated by the violent participant explosion. The average excitation energy and the mass of the spectators, in contrast to the momentum, show little sensitivity to the nuclear equation of state.

20 pages, including 9 figures. submitted to PRC ; new free cross section calculation results added; refined text, and better contour for figure 2 now

References in corpus (3)

• Determination of the Mean-Field Momentum-Dependence using Elliptic Flow
• Disappearance of Elliptic Flow: A New Probe for the Nuclear Equation of State
• Spectator and participant decay in heavy ion collisions

Cited by in corpus (11)

• Dense Nuclear Matter Equation of State from Heavy-Ion Collisions
• Projectile fragmentation reactions and production of nuclei near the neutron drip-line
• Experimental investigation of the residues produced in the 136Xe+Pb and 124Xe+Pb fragmentation reactions at 1 A GeV
• Experimental Indications for the Response of the Spectators to the Participant Blast
• Light cluster production at NICA
• Experimental study of fragmentation products in the reactions 112Sn + 112Sn and 124Sn + 124Sn at 1 AGeV
• Nuclear Incompressibility in Asymmetric Systems at Finite Temperature and Entropy
• Study of relativistic charged particles production in ^{84}Kr$_{36}+Em interaction at around 1 A GeV with wounded nucleon model
• Elliptic flow in heavy-ion collisions at intermediate energy: the role of impact parameter, mean field potential, and collision term
• Dispersion of longitudinal momentum distributions induced in fragmentation reactions
• Remarks on the non-equilibrium effects and collision dynamics in heavy-ion collisions