Energy dependence of mass distributions in fragmentation

TL;DR

This study uses molecular dynamics simulations to analyze how energy influences the distribution of fragment sizes in a simple particle model, revealing a power-law behavior that varies with energy levels.

Contribution

It demonstrates the energy dependence of mass distributions in fragmentation through numerical simulations and experimental confirmation, highlighting the variation of power-law exponents.

Findings

Power-law region in fragment mass distribution

Exponent increases with energy

Experimental confirmation of simulation results

Abstract

We study fragmentation numerically using a simple model in which an object is taken to be a set of particles that interact pairwisely via a Lennard-Jones potential while the effect of the fragmentation-induced forces is represented by some initial velocities assigned to the particles. The motion of the particles, which is given by Newton's laws, is followed by molecular dynamics calculations. As time evolves, the particles form clusters which are identified as fragments. The steady-state cumulative distribution of the fragment masses is studied and found to have an effective power-law region. The power-law exponent increases with the energy given to the particles by the fragmentation-induced forces. This result is confirmed by experiments.