Liquid-gas phase transition and its order in finite nuclei

Abstract

The liquid-gas phase transition in finite nuclei is studied in a heated liquid-drop model where the drop is assumed to be in thermodynamic equilibrium with the vapour emanated from it. Changing pressure along the liquid-gas coexistence line of the systems, symmetric or asymmetric, suggests that the phase transition is a continuous one. This is further corroborated from the study of the thermal evolution of the entropy at constant pressure.

11 pages (ReVTeX), 4 figures (PS); Submitted to Phys. Rev. C