Effective nucleon mass and the nuclear caloric curve

TL;DR

This paper presents a simplified model linking the effective nucleon mass to the nuclear caloric curve, explaining its mass dependence and the conditions for plateau formation based on excitation energy.

Contribution

It introduces a schematic form of the nucleon effective mass as a function of excitation energy and mass to explain experimental observations.

Findings

Caloric curve plateau onset depends on nuclear mass.

Effective nucleon mass influences the caloric curve shape.

Mass dependence of the caloric curve is explained by the model.

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.