Eur. Phys. J. A (2003) 18: 103-116
https://doi.org/10.1140/epja/i2002-10166-9

OriginalPaper

Fragment charge correlations and spinodal decomposition in finite nuclear systems

¹ Institut de Physique Nucléaire, IN2P3-CNRS, F-91406, Orsay cedex, France
² National Institute for Physics and Nuclear Engineering, RO-76900, Bucharest-Magurele, Romania
³ LPC, IN2P3-CNRS, ENSICAEN et Université, F-14050, Caen cedex, France
⁴ GANIL, CEA et IN2P3-CNRS, B.P. 5027, F-14076, Caen cedex, France
⁵ Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers, F-75141, Paris cedex 03, France
⁶ Institut de Physique Nucléaire, IN2P3-CNRS et Université, F-69622, Villeurbanne cedex, France
⁷ Dipartimento di Scienze Fisiche e Sezione INFN, Universitá di Napoli “Federico II”, I80126, Napoli, Italy

^* e-mail: borderie@ipno.in2p3.fr

Abstract

Enhanced production of events with almost equal-sized fragments is experimentally revealed by charge correlations in the multifragmentation of a finite nuclear system selected in ¹²⁹Xe central collisions on ^nat Sn. The evolution of their weight with the incident energy: 32, 39, 45, 50 AMeV, is measured. Dynamical stochastic mean-field simulations performed at 32 AMeV, in which spinodal instabilities are responsible for multifragmentation, exhibit a similar enhancement of this kind of events. The above experimental observation evidences the spinodal decomposition of hot finite nuclear matter as the origin of multifragmentation in the Fermi energy regime.