The role of bulk energy in nuclear multifragmentation

TL;DR

This paper investigates how incorporating bulk energy reduction due to thermal expansion affects fragment yields and isotope distributions in nuclear multifragmentation, providing insights into the role of bulk energy in nuclear reactions.

Contribution

It introduces a modification to the statistical multifragmentation model by accounting for bulk energy reduction, highlighting its impact on nuclear fragment distributions.

Findings

Bulk energy reduction influences fragment yields.

Isotope distributions are affected by bulk energy considerations.

The study compares effects of bulk energy with symmetry and surface energy modifications.

Abstract

Because of thermal expansion and residual interactions, hot nuclear fragments produced in multifragmentation reactions may have lower nucleon density than the equilibrium density of cold nuclei. In terms of liquid-drop model this effect can be taken into account by reducing the bulk energy of fragments. We study the influence of this change on fragment yields and isotope distributions within the framework of the statistical multifragmentation model. Similarities and differences with previously discussed modifications of symmetry and surface energies of nuclei are analyzed.