Experimental Determination of In-Medium Cluster Binding Energies and Mott Points in Nuclear Matter

TL;DR

This paper experimentally measures in-medium cluster binding energies and Mott points in low-density nuclear matter, confirming theoretical predictions and enhancing understanding of nuclear cluster behavior under specific temperature and density conditions.

Contribution

It provides the first experimental determination of in-medium cluster binding energies and Mott points, validating recent quantum statistical models with Pauli blocking effects.

Findings

In-medium binding energies agree with theoretical models

Mott points for clusters are experimentally determined

Results support quantum statistical approaches to nuclear matter

Abstract

In medium binding energies and Mott points for $d$, $t$, $^3$He and $\alpha$ clusters in low density nuclear matter have been determined at specific combinations of temperature and density in low density nuclear matter produced in collisions of 47$A$ MeV $^{40}$Ar and $^{64}$Zn projectiles with $^{112}$Sn and $^{124}$Sn target nuclei. The experimentally derived values of the in medium modified binding energies are in good agreement with recent theoretical predictions based upon the implementation of Pauli blocking effects in a quantum statistical approach.