Spinodal instabilities and early growth of baryon density fluctuations in symmetric nuclear matter are investigated in the basis of stochastic extension of relativistic mean-field approach in the semi-classical approximation. Calculations are compared with the results of non-relativistic calculations based on Skyrme-type effective interactions under similar conditions. A qualitative difference appears in the unstable response of the system: the system exhibits most unstable behavior at higher baryon densities around $ρ_{b}=0.4 ~ρ_{0}$ in the relativistic approach while most unstable behavior occurs at lower baryon densities around $ρ_{b}=0.2 ~ρ_{0}$ in the non-relativistic calculations
Self consistent quantum approaches are used to study the instabilities of finite nuclear systems. The frequencies of multipole density fluctuations are determined as a function of dilution and temperature, for several isotopes. The spinodal region of the phase diagrams is determined and it appears that instabilities are reduced by finite size effects. The role of surface and volume instabilities is discussed. It is indicated that the important chemical effects associated with mechanical disruption may lead to isospin fractionation.
A density dependent relativistic mean-field model is determined to reproduce the components of the nucleon self-energy at low densities. This model is used to investigate spinodal instabilities in isospin asymmetric nuclear matter at finite temperatures. The inhomogeneous density distributions in the spinodal region are investigated through calculations in a cubic Wigner-Seitz cell. Compared to results obtained in phenomenological calculations the spinodal region is large, i.e. the spinodal region at zero temperature can reach densities above 0.12 fm$^{-3}$. The predicted spinodal region is co…
As an extension of our previous work, the growth of density fluctuations in the spinodal region of charge asymmetric nuclear matter is investigated in the basis of the stochastic mean-field approach in the non-relativistic framework. A complete treatment of density correlation functions are presented by including collective modes and non-collective modes as well.
Quantal effects on growth of spinodal instabilities in charge asymmetric nuclear matter are investigated in the framework of a stochastic mean field approach. Due to quantal effects, in both symmetric and asymmetric matter, dominant unstable modes shift towards longer wavelengths and modes with wave numbers larger than the Fermi momentum are strongly suppressed. As a result of quantum statistical effects, in particular at lower temperatures, magnitude of density fluctuations grows larger than those calculated in semi-classical approximation.
Early growth of density fluctuations of nuclear matter in spinodal region is investigated employing the stochastic mean-field approach. In contrast to the earlier treatments in which only collective modes were included in the calculations, in the present work non-collective modes are also included, thus providing a complete treatment of the density correlation functions. Calculations are carried out for symmetric matter in non-relativistic framework using a semi-classical approximation.
Using a recently developed method for the inclusion of fluctuation in the BUU dynamics, we study the self-consistent propagation of inherent thermal noise of unstable nuclear matter. The large time behaviour of the evolving system exhibits synergism between fluctuation and non-linearities in a universal manner which manifest in the appearance of macroscopic structure in the average description.
Are spinodal instabilities the leading mechanism in the fragmentation of a fermionic system? Numerous experimental indications suggest such a scenario and stimulated much effort in giving a suitable description, without being finalised in a dedicated transport model. On the one hand, the bulk character of spinodal behaviour requires an accurate treatment of the one-body dynamics, in presence of mechanical instabilities. On the other hand, pure mean-field implementations do not apply to situations where instabilities, bifurcations and chaos are present. The evolution of instabilities should be …
We analyze the spinodal instabilities of spin polarized asymmetric nuclear matter at zero temperature for several configurations of the neutron and proton spins. The calculations are performed with the Brueckner--Hartree--Fock (BHF) approach using the Argonne V18 nucleon-nucleon potential plus a three-nucleon force of Urbana type. An analytical parametrization of the energy density, which reproduces with good accuracy the BHF results, is employed to determine the spinodal instability region. We find that, independently of the of the orientation of the neutron and proton spins, the spinodal ins…
Using the Polyakov-Nambu-Jona-Lasinia (PNJL) model, we study the spinodal instability of a baryon-rich quark-gluon plasma in the linear response theory. We find that the spinodal unstable region in the temperature and density plane shrinks with increasing wave number of the unstable mode and is also reduced if the effect of Polyakov loop is not included. In the small wave number or long wavelength limit, the spinodal boundaries in both cases of with and without the Polyakov loop coincide with those determined from the isothermal spinodal instability in the thermodynamic approach. Also, the vec…
We study the spinodal instabilities of asymmetric nuclear matter at finite temperature within the microscopic Brueckner--Hartree--Fock (BHF) approximation using the realistic Argonne V18 nucleon-nucleon potential plus a three-body force of Urbana type. Our results are compared with those obtained with the Skyrme force SLy230a and the relativistic mean field models NL3 and TW. We find that BHF predicts a larger spinodal region. This result is a direct consequence of the fact that our Brueckner calculation predicts a larger critical temperature and saturation density of symmetric nuclear matter …
We demonstrate that the instabilities of asymmetric nuclear matter at sub-saturation densities do not present two types of instabilities as usually discussed but a unique one. The associated order parameter is everywhere dominated by the isoscalar density and so the transition is of liquid-gas type even in the so-called chemical instability region.
Density fluctuations resulting from spinodal decomposition in a non-equilibrium first-order chiral phase transition are explored. We show that such instabilities generate divergent fluctuations of conserved charges along the isothermal spinodal lines appearing in the coexistence region. Thus, divergent density fluctuations could be a signal not only for the critical end point but also for the first order phase transition expected in strongly interacting matter. We also compute the mean-field critical exponent at the spinodal lines. Our analysis is performed in the mean-field approximation to t…
The Vlasov-Nordheim equation is solved numerically on a lattice for nuclear matter in two dimensions. We discuss the reliability of the model at normal density and then study the response of the system to small perturbations. We find deterministic chaos inside the spinodal zone where fragment formation occurs. We discuss in detail the dynamical features of this phenomenon in order to clarify the mechanisms leading to nuclear disassembly in heavy--ion collisions.
The phase diagram of nuclear matter is quite rich - it shows such phenomena as phase-transitions, formation of condensates, clustering, etc. From the analysis of the spinodal instability, one can learn about the region of liquid-gas coexistence in nuclear matter at low densities and finite isospin asymmetries. In a recent paper, we have shown that asymmetric nuclear matter at sub-nuclear densities should undergo only one type of instability. The associated order parameter is dominated by the isoscalar density and so the transition is of liquid-gas type. The instability goes in the direction of…
We investigate the impact of pairing correlations on the behavior of unstable asymmetric nuclear matter at low temperature. We focus on the relative role of the pairing interaction, coupling nucleons of the same type (neutrons or protons), with respect to the symmetry potential, which enhances the neutron-proton attraction, along the clusterization process driven by spinodal instabilities. It is found that, especially at the transition temperature from the normal to the superfluid phase, pairing effects may induce significant variations in the isotopic content of the clusterized matter. This a…
We demonstrate, by numerical simulations, that the dynamics of nuclear matter mean field inside the spinodal region is chaotic. Spontaneous symmetry-breaking - no explicit fluctuating term is considered - occurs leading to wild unpredictable density fluctuations. A proper recipe to calculate an average Lyapunov exponent in this multidimensional phase space is introduced. The latter is calculated for different values of the density in order to characterize in a quantitative way the chaotic and regular regions. It is argued that the mean field chaoticity can be the main mechanism of the nuclear …
Asymmetric nuclear matter at sub-saturation densities is shown to present only one type of instabilities. The associated order parameter is dominated by the isoscalar density and so the transition is of liquid-gas type. The instability goes in the direction of a restoration of the isospin symmetry leading to a fractionation phenomenon. These conclusions are model independent since they can be related to the general form of the asymmetry energy. They are illustrated using density functional approaches.
Based on IBUU simulations calibrated by previous efforts of the transport model evaluation project, we have studied the specific shear viscosity $η/s$ of nuclear matter in the spinodal region using the Green-Kubo method. With the momentum-independent mean-field potential which reproduces reasonably well empirical nuclear matter properties and nuclear phase diagram, we have generated dynamically stable and thermalized nuclear cluster systems in a box with the periodic boundary condition. Extensive results of the $η/s$ at different average densities and temperatures in uniform and non-uniform sy…
The stability of an expanding parton plasma is analyzed within quasi-particle models. The effective mass of the parton is calculated self-consistently from a gap equation which is either obtained from the Nambu Jona-Lasinio Lagrangian or from a fit to observables calculated on the lattice. The latter shows an effective confinement. At thermal equilibrium the stability is studied within thermodynamics (mechanical stability) and via a linear response analysis of the Vlasov equation. The instabilities related to a first-order phase transition are found. For a plasma expanding in three and one dim…
Nuclei undergo a phase transition in nuclear reactions according to a caloric curve determined by the amount of entropy. Here, the generation of entropy is studied in relation to the size of the nuclear system.
We investigate the dynamical properties of asymmetric nuclear matter at low density. The occurrence of new instabilities, that lead the system to a dynamical fragment formation, is illustrated, discussing in particular the charge symmetry dependence of the structure of the most important unstable modes. We observe that instabilities are reduced by charge asymmetry, leading to larger size and time scales in the fragmentation process. Configurations with less asymmetric fragments surrounded by a more asymmetric gas are favoured. Interesting variances with respect to a pure thermodynamical predic…
High-energy nuclear collisions produce quark-gluon plasmas that expand and hadronize. If the associated phase transition is of first order then the hadronization should proceed through a spinodal phase separation. We explore here the possibility of identifying the associated clumping by analysis of suitable N-particle momentum correlations.
We study the effect of strong magnetic fields, of the order of $10^{18}$-$10^{19}$ G, on the instability region of nuclear matter at subsaturation densities. Relativistic nuclear models both with constant couplings and with density dependent parameters are considered. It is shown that a strong magnetic field can have large effects on the instability regions giving rise to bands of instability and wider unstable regions. As a consequence we predict larger transition densities at the inner edge of the crust of compact stars with strong magnetic field. The direction of instability gives rise to a…
Within the covariant density functional theory of nuclear matter we build equations of state of $Δ$-admixed compact stars. Uncertainties in the interaction of $Δ(1232)$ resonance states with nuclear matter, due to lack of experimental data, are accounted for by varying the coupling constants to scalar and vector mesonic fields. We find that, over a wide range of the parameter space allowed by nuclear physics experiments and astrophysical observations, cold catalyzed star matter exhibits a first order phase transition which persists also at finite temperature and out of $β$-equilibrium in the n…
The effects of $δ$ mesons on the dynamical instabilities of cold and warm nuclear and stellar matter at subsaturation densities are studied in the framework of relativistic mean-field hadron models (NL3, NL$ρ$ and NL$ρδ$) with the inclusion of the electromagnetic field. The distillation effect and the spinodals for all the models considered are discussed. The crust-core transition density and pressure are obtained as a function of temperature for $β$-equilibrium matter with and without neutrino trapping. An estimation of the size of the clusters formed in the non-homogeneous phase is made. It …
Spinodal instability in nuclear matter with light cluster degrees of freedom
INFN, Laboratori Nazionali del Sud（意大利国家核物理研究所，南实验室）；Department of Physics and Astronomy “Ettore Majorana”, University of Catania（卡塔尼亚大学埃托雷·马约拉纳物理与天文学系）
Density fluctuations of expanding nuclear matter are studied within a mean-field model in which fluctuations are generated by an external stochastic field. Fluctuations develop about a mean one-body phase-space density corresponding to a hydrodinamic motion that describes a slow expansion of the system. A fluctuation-dissipation relation suitable for a uniformly expanding medium is obtained and used to constrain the strength of the stochastic field. The distribution of the liquid domains in the spinodal decomposition is derived. Comparison of the related distribution of the fragment size with …
The spinodal amplification of density fluctuations is treated perturbatively within dissipative fluid dynamics for the purpose of elucidating the prospects for this mechanism to cause a phase separation to occur during a relativistic nuclear collision. The present study includes not only viscosity but also heat conduction (whose effect on the growth rates is of comparable magnitude but opposite), as well as a gradient term in the local pressure, and the corresponding dispersion relation for collective modes in bulk matter is derived from relativistic fluid dynamics. A suitable two-phase equati…
Effects of viscosity and thermal conductivity on the dynamics of first-order phase transitions are studied. The nuclear gas-liquid and hadron-quark transitions in heavy-ion collisions are considered. We demonstrate that at non-zero thermal conductivity, $κ\neq 0$, onset of spinodal instabilities occurs on an isothermal spinodal line, whereas for $κ=0$ instabilities take place at lower temperatures, on an adiabatic spinodal.
Extending a previously developed two-phase equation of state, we simulate head-on relativistic lead-lead collisions with fluid dynamics, augmented with a finite-range term, and study the effects of the phase structure on the evolution of the baryon density. For collision energies that bring the bulk of the system into the mechanically unstable spinodal region of the phase diagram, the density irregularities are being amplified significantly. The resulting density clumping may be exploited as a signal of the phase transition, possibly through an enhanced production of composite particles.
The evolution of dynamical perturbations is examined in nuclear multifragmentation in the frame of Vlasov equation. Both plane wave and bubble type of perturbations are investigated in the presence of surface (Yukawa) forces. An energy condition is given for the allowed type of instabilities and the time scale of the exponential growth of the instabilities is calculated. The results are compared to the mechanical spinodal region predictions. PACS: 25.70 Mn
We recently introduced a fluid-dynamical model for simulating relativistic nuclear collisions in the presence of a first-order phase transition and made explorative studies of head-on lead-lead collisions. We give here a more detailed account of this novel theoretical tool and carry out more exhaustive studies of the phase-separation dynamics. Extracting the density enhancement caused by the spinodal instabilities, the associated clump size distribution, and the resulting transverse flow velocity, we examine the sensitivity of these quantities to the strength of the gradient term that promotes…
This paper focuses on the isospin properties of the asymmetric nuclear-matter liquid-gas phase transition analyzed in a mean-field approach, using Skyrme effective interactions. We compare two different mechanisms of phase separation for low-density matter: equilibrium and spinodal decomposition. The isospin properties of the phases are deduced from the free-energy curvature, which contains information both on the average isospin content and on the system fluctuations. Some implications on experimentally accessible isospin observables are presented.
Using the test-particle method to solve the transport equation derived from the Nambu-Jona-Lasino (NJL) model, we study how phase separation occurs in an expanding quark matter like that in a heavy ion collision. To test our method, we first investigate the growth rates of unstable modes of quark matter in a static cubic box and find them to agree with the analytical results that were previously obtained using the linear response theory. In this case, we also find the higher-order scaled density moments to increase with time and saturate at values significantly larger than one, which correspon…
Results on dissipative isoscalar modes of a hot and dilute nuclear droplet are presented. As compared to the adiabatic limit (part I), realistic dissipation yields a substantial reduction of the growth rates for all unstable modes, while the area of spinodal instability in the ($\varrho$,T)-plane remains unchanged. The qualitative features of multifragmentation through spinodal decomposition as obtained in the adiabatic limit are not significantly affected by dissipation.
We discuss the features of instabilities in asymmetric nuclear matter, in particular the relation between the nature of fluctuations, the types of instabilities and the properties of the interaction. We show a chemical instability appears as an instability against isoscalar-like fluctuations. Then starting from phenomenological hadronic field theory (QHD), including exchange terms, we discuss the symmetry energy and the relation to the dynamical response inside the spinodal region.
The diabatic approach to collective nuclear motion is reformulated in the local-density approximation in order to treat the normal modes of a spherical nuclear droplet analytically. In a first application the adiabatic isoscalar modes are studied and results for the eigenvalues of compressional (bulk) and pure surface modes are presented as function of density and temperature inside the droplet, as well as for different mass numbers and for soft and stiff equations of state. We find that the region of bulk instabilities (spinodal regime) is substantially smaller for nuclear droplets than for i…
The coordinate and momentum space configurations of the net baryon number in heavy ion collisions that undergo spinodal decomposition, due to a first-order phase transition, are investigated using state-of-the-art machine-learning methods. Coordinate space clumping, which appears in the spinodal decomposition, leaves strong characteristic imprints on the spatial net density distribution in nearly every event which can be detected by modern machine learning techniques. On the other hand, the corresponding features in the momentum distributions cannot clearly be detected, by the same machine lea…
If the deconfinement phase transformation of strongly interacting matter is of first-order and the expanding chromodynamic matter created in a high-energy nuclear collision enters the corresponding region of phase coexistence, a spinodal phase separation might occur. The matter would then condense into a number of separate blobs, each having a particular net strangeness that would remain approximately conserved during the further evolution. We investigate the effect that such `strangeness trapping' may have on strangeness-related hadronic observables. The kaon multiplicity fluctuations are sig…
Using transport theory to model central Au + Au collisions in the energy region of 20 - 110 MeV/u, at impact parameters b <= 5 fm, we predict a measurable impact of spinoidal instability as the collective expansion sets in with energy. Two transport models are employed, the pBUU model, solving a Boltzmann-Uehling-Uhlenbeck equation, and the Brownian Motion (BM) model, solving a set of Langevin equations to describe the motion of individual nucleons in a noisy nuclear medium. We find without ambiguity, for the first time, that a combination of delayed equilibration, onset of collective expansio…
The expansion of strongly interacting matter formed in high-energy nuclear collisions drives the system through the region of phase coexistence. The present study examines the associated spinodal instability and finds that the degree of amplification may be sufficient to raise the prospect of using the spinodal pattern formation as a diagnostic tool for probing the hadronization phase transition.
In the present work we include the isovector-scalar $δ$-meson in the quark-meson coupling model (QMC) and study the properties of asymmetric nuclear within QMC without and with the $δ$-meson. Recent constraints set by isospin diffusion on the slope parameter of the nuclear symmetry energy at saturation density are used to adjust the model parameters. The thermodynamical spinodal surfaces are obtained and the instability region at subsaturation densities within QMC and QMC$δ$ models are compared with mean-field relativistic models. The distillation effect in the QMC model is discussed.
The existence of phase transitions from liquid to gas phases in asymmetric nuclear matter (ANM) is related with the instability regions which are limited by the spinodals. In this work we investigate the instabilities in ANM described within relativistic mean field hadron models, both with constant and density dependent couplings at zero and finite temperatures. In calculating the proton and neutron chemical potentials we have used an expansion in terms of Bessel functions that is convenient at low densities. The role of the isovector scalar $δ$-meson is also investigated in the framework of r…
The stability of hot expanded nuclear droplets against small bulk and surface oscillations is examined and possible consequences for multifragmentation are discussed.
We discuss the features of instabilities in binary systems, in particular, for asymmetric nuclear matter. We show its relevance for the interpretation of results obtained in experiments and in "ab initio" simulations of the reaction between $^{124}Sn+^{124}Sn$ at 50AMeV.}
In the field of Energy Density Functionals (EDF) used in nuclear structure and dynamics, one of the unsolved issues is the stability of the functional. Numerical issues aside, some EDFs are unstable with respect to particular perturbations of the nuclear ground-state density. The aim of this contribution is to raise questions about the origin and nature of these instabilities, the techniques used to diagnose and prevent them, and the domain of density functions in which one should expect a nuclear EDF to be stable.
The density fluctuations of nuclear matter are studied within a mean-field model in wich fluctuations are generated by an external stochastic field. The constraints imposed on the random force by the fluctuation-dissipation theorem are analyzed. It is shown that in the proximity of the borders of the spinodal region the assumption of a white-noise stochastic field can be reliably used. The domain distribution of the liquid phase in the spinodal decomposition of nuclear matter is derived. The related distribution of fragment sizes compares favourably with the experimental fragment distribution …
Nuclear effective interactions are often modelled by simple analytical expressions such as the Skyrme zero-range force. This effective interaction depends on a limited number of parameters that are usually fitted using experimental data obtained from doubly magic nuclei. It was recently shown that many Skyrme functionals lead to the appearance of instabilities, in particular when symmetries are broken, for example unphysical polarization of odd-even or rotating nuclei. In this article, we show how the formalism of the linear response in infinite nuclear matter can be used to predict and avoid …
We study the influence of the isovector-scalar meson on the spinodal instabilities and the distillation effect in asymmetric non-homogenous nuclear matter under strong magnetic fields, of the order of $10^{18}-10^{19}$ G. Relativistic nuclear models both with constant couplings (NLW) and with density dependent parameters (DDRH) are considered. A strong magnetic field can have large effects on the instability regions giving rise to bands of instability and wider unstable regions. It is shown that for neutron rich matter the inclusion of the $δ$ meson increases the size of the instability region…
The formalism of linear response theory for Skyrme forces including tensor terms presented in article [1] is generalized for the case of a Skyrme energy density functional in infinite matter. We also present analytical results for the odd-power sum rules, with particular attention to the inverse energy weighted sum rule, $M_{-1}$, as a tool to detect instabilities in Skyrme functionals.
We derive stability conditions of Asymmetric Nuclear Matter ($ANM$) and discuss the relation to mechanical and chemical instabilities of general two-component systems. We show that the chemical instability may appear as an instability of the system against isoscalar-like rather than isovector-like fluctuations if the interaction between the two constituent species has an attractive character as in the case of $ANM$. This leads to a new kind of liquid-gas phase transition, of interest for fragmentation experiments with radioactive beams.
We study the effects of the Coulomb interaction on the growth of unstable modes in asymmetric nuclear matter. In order to compare with previous calculations we use a semiclassical approach based on the linearized Vlasov equation. Moreover, a quantum calculation is performed within the R.P.A.. The Coulomb effects are a slowing down of the growth and the occurrence of a minimal wave vector for the onset of the instabilities. The quantum corrections cause a further decrease of the growth rates.
The formalism of linear response theory for a Skyrme functional including spin-orbit and tensor terms is generalized to the case of infinite nuclear matter with arbitrary isospin asymmetry. Response functions are obtained by solving an algebraic system of equations, which is explicitly given. Spin-isospin strength functions are analyzed varying the conditions of density, momentum transfer, asymmetry and temperature. The presence of instabilities, including the spinodal one, is studied by means of the static susceptibility.
We examine the dynamics of statistical fluctuations in nuclear matter. Linear response functions for the average phase space density are derived within Landau theory. Properties of the stochastic forces are deduced from the quantal fluctuation dissipation theorem, with a suitable generalization to unstable modes. Sizable quantum effects are found both inside and outside the spinodal regime.
We explore the presence of thermodynamic instabilities and, con\-se\-quen\-tly, the realization of a pure hadronic phase transition in the hot and finite baryon density nuclear matter. The analysis is performed by means of an effective relativistic mean-field model with the inclusion of hyperons, $Δ$-isobars, and the lightest pseudoscalar and vector meson degrees of freedom. The Gibbs conditions on the global conservation of baryon number and zero net strangeness in symmetric nuclear matter are required. Similarly to the liquid-gas phase transition, we show that a phase transition, characteriz…
The kinetic theory of the Fermi liquid is applied to finite nuclei. The nuclear collective motion is treated in terms of the observable variables: particle density, current density, pressure etc. The nuclear dynamics is influenced strongly by the Fermi-surface distortion (FSD) effect. The relaxation of collective motion and the width of giant multipole resonances in hot nuclei show a saturated behaviour with temperature caused by the memory effect in the collision integral. The development of the bulk and surface instabilities of the nuclear Fermi-liquid is sensitive to the dynamic effects suc…
An abnormal production of events with almost equal-sized fragments was theoretically proposed as a signature of spinodal instabilities responsible for nuclear multifragmentation in the Fermi energy domain. On the other hand finite size effects are predicted to strongly reduce this abnormal production. High statistics quasifusion hot nuclei produced in central collisions between Xe and Sn isotopes at 32 and 45 AMeV incident energies have been used to definitively establish, through the experimental measurement of charge correlations, the presence of spinodal instabilities. N/Z influence was als…
We study the variance and kurtosis of the net-baryon number in a fluid dynamical model for heavy-ion collisions. It is based on an effective chiral model with dilatons for the strong coupling regime of QCD. Taking into account spinodal instabilities, we demonstrate that this model exhibits a diverging quark number susceptibility and kurtosis all along the spinodal lines of the first-order phase transition, with a change of universality class at the critical end point. During the (3+1) dimensional expansion of a hot and dense fireball, instabilities are created by fluctuations in the explicitly…
Employing a previously derived formulation, and extending the treatment from purely transverse modes to wave vectors having a longitudinal component, we discuss the prospects for the occurrence of Weibel-type color-current filamentation in high-energy nuclear collisions. Numerical solutions of the dispersion equation for a number of scenarios relevant to RHIC and LHC suggest that modes with (predominantly transverse) wave numbers of several hundred MeV may become moderately agitated during the early collision stage. The emergence of filamentation helps to speed up the equilibration of the part…
