Probing the in-medium nucleon-nucleon inelastic scattering cross section by using an energy-dependent n/p ratio

Abstract

Based on the isospin-dependent Boltzmann-Uehling-Uhlenbeck transport model, in-medium nucleon-nucleon inelastic scattering (which is dominated by pion production at low and intermediate energies) is explored. It is found that the in-medium modification of nucleon-nucleon inelastic scatterings appears to reduce the neutron-to-proton ratio $n/p$ at higher kinetic energies. Although the in-medium modification of nucleon-nucleon inelastic scatterings, as expected, affects the value of ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ensuremath{-}}/{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{+}$ ratio, considering a series of undetermined properties of delta resonance and $\ensuremath{\pi}$ in medium, the energetic neutron-to-proton ratio $n/p$ is more suitable to be used to probe the in-medium correction of nucleon-nucleon inelastic scatterings.