d-alpha Correlation functions and collective motion in Xe+Au collisions at E/A=50 MeV

TL;DR

This study investigates how geometry and collective motion influence deuteron-alpha correlation functions in Xe+Au collisions at 50 MeV per nucleon, highlighting the importance of collective motion in explaining experimental data.

Contribution

It demonstrates that collective motion is essential to explain correlation functions and introduces a Monte-Carlo model combining thermal emission with collective motion for semi-quantitative analysis.

Findings

Collective motion significantly affects correlation function shapes.

Thermal emission alone cannot explain the data.

Monte-Carlo model successfully reproduces experimental correlations.

Abstract

The interplay of the effects of geometry and collective motion on d-$\alpha$ correlation functions is investigated for central Xe+Au collisions at E/A=50 MeV. The data cannot be explained without collective motion, which could be partly along the beam axis. A semi-quantitative description of the data can be obtained using a Monte-Carlo model, where thermal emission is superimposed on collective motion. Both the emission volume and the competition between the thermal and collective motion influence significantly the shape of the correlation function, motivating new strategies for extending intensity interferometry studies to massive particles.