Probing nuclear compressibility via fragmentation in Au+Au reactions at 35 AMeV

TL;DR

This study uses molecular dynamics simulations of Au+Au collisions at 35 MeV/nucleon to investigate nuclear matter compressibility by analyzing fragment yields and charged particle multiplicities, favoring a soft equation of state.

Contribution

It provides new insights into nuclear matter compressibility at low densities by comparing simulation results with experimental data using different equations of state.

Findings

Fragment yields are insensitive to nucleon-nucleon cross sections.

Charged particle multiplicities favor a soft nuclear matter equation of state.

Simulation results align better with experimental data for a soft EOS.

Abstract

The molecular dynamics study of fragmentation in peripheral $^{197}$Au +$^{197}$Au collisions at 35 MeV/nucleon is presented to probe the nuclear matter compressibility in low density regime. The yields of different fragment species, rapidity spectra, and multiplicities of charged particles with charge $3\leq Z \leq 80$ are analyzed at different peripheral geometries employing a soft and a hard equations of state. Fragment productions is found to be quite insensitive towards the choice of nucleon-nucleon cross sections allowing us to constrain nuclear matter compressibility. Comparison of calculated charged particle multiplicities with the experimental data indicates preference for the \emph{soft} nature of nuclear matter.