Probing in-medium nucleon-nucleon inelastic scattering cross section by using energetic n/p ratio

TL;DR

This study uses the IBUU transport model to investigate how in-medium nucleon-nucleon inelastic scattering affects the energetic neutron/proton ratio, providing insights into in-medium nuclear interactions.

Contribution

It demonstrates that the energetic n/p ratio is a more effective probe for in-medium nucleon-nucleon inelastic scattering modifications than the pion ratio.

Findings

In-medium modifications reduce the neutron/proton ratio at higher energies.

The n/p ratio is more sensitive to in-medium effects than the pion ratio.

The study supports using energetic n/p ratio to probe in-medium nucleon interactions.

Abstract

Based on the Isospin-dependent Boltzmann-Uehling-Uhlenbeck (IBUU) transport model, the in-medium nucleon-nucleon inelastic scattering ( which is dominated by pion production at low and intermediate energies) is explored. It is found that the in-medium modification of nucleon-nucleon inelastic scatterings appears to reduce the neutron to proton ratio n/p at higher kinetic energies. Although the in-medium modification of nucleon-nucleon inelastic scatterings, as expected, affects the value of $\pi^-/\pi^+$ ratio, considering a series of undetermined properties of delta resonance and $\pi$ in medium, the energetic neutron to proton ratio n/p is more suitable to be used to probe the in-medium correction of nucleon-nucleon inelastic scatterings.