Probing nuclear symmetry energy with two-nucleon correlation functions in heavy-ion collisions induced by neutron-rich nuclei
Abstract
Using an isospin-dependent transport model [1], we have studied the isospin effects on two-nucleon correlation functions in heavy-ion collisions induced by neutron-rich nuclei at intermediate energies [2]. We find that these correlation functions, especially for neutron-proton pairs with high total momenta but low relative momenta, are sensitive to the density dependence of the nuclear symmetry energy but not that of the isoscalar part of nuclear potential or the in-medium nucleon-nucleon cross sections. This sensitivity is mainly due to the effect of nuclear symmetry energy on the emission times of neutrons and protons as well as their relative emission sequence. Although the symmetry energy effect diminishes with increasing impact parameter of heavy ion collisions, it is relatively independent of the energy of the colliding system. [1]B. A. Li, C. M. Ko and W. Bauer, Int. J. Mod. Phys. E 7, 147 (1998). [2]L. W. Chen, V. Greco, C. M. Ko, and B. A. Li, nucl-th/0211002.
- Publication:
-
APS April Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- April 2003
- Bibcode:
- 2003APS..APRP10010C