Nuclear matter phase diagram from compound nucleus decay

L.G. Moretto^1a, J.B. Elliott², P.T. Lake¹ and L. Phair¹

¹ Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and UC Berkeley
² Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

^a e-mail: lgmoretto@lbl.gov

Published online: 14 February 2012

Abstract

The finite size of nuclei and the Coulomb interaction make it difficult to describe systems interacting through the strong force into thermodynamic terms. Our task is to extract the phase diagram of the theoretical infinite symmetrical uncharged nuclear matter from experiments of nuclear collisions where the systems are neither infinite, symmetrical, nor uncharged. Decay yields from such experiments are translated into coexistence densities and pressures by use of Fisher's droplet model. This method is tested on model systems such as the Ising model and a system of particles interacting via the Lennard-Jones potential. The specific problems inherent to nuclear reactions are considered. These include finite size effects, Coulomb repulsion, and the lack of a physical vapor in contact with a decaying system. Experimental data of compound nucleus experiments are studied within this framework, which is also shown to extend to higher energy reactions. Finally, the phase diagram of nuclear matter is extracted.