Nuclear collisions at intermediate energy

Abstract

Intermediate energy nuclear collisions in the energy region from approximately 10 to 200 MeV u are discussed. Their importance in providing conceptual links between low and high energy processes is emphasised. The production of spectator fragments, of a participant or localised hot zone and of composite light particles by coalescence can already be discerned at 15 MeV u . The transition from fusion in central collisions to explosive reactions also appears to take place at fairly low energies. Intermediate energy studies may be useful in relating low energy microscopic theories of TDHF, direct and multistep reactions to the macroscopic approaches such as nuclear hydrodynamics.