Theoretical studies of the nuclear equation of state indicate that both infinite nuclear matter as well as finite nuclei behave like a van der Waals gas. One then expects a liquid-gas type phase transition with the heating up of a nucleus. Experiments are now possible through heavy ion collisions with bombarding energies in the range of a few tens of MeV/A to a few hundreds of MeV/A to excite a nucleus to the desired degree. The final states of all such reactions consist of a large number of fragments of different sizes. The question is how to extract the signatures of a liquid-gas type phase transition from the study of this disassembled nucleus? Some of these aspects are highlighted.

Wednesday, October 13th 1999, 15:30
Ernest Rutherford Physics Building, room 305