Statistical ensembles and fragmentation of finite nuclei

Abstract

Statistical models based on different ensembles are very commonly used to describe the nuclear multifragmentation reaction in heavy ion collisions at intermediate energies. Canonical model results are more appropriate for finite nuclei calculations while those obtained from the grand canonical ones are more easily calculable. A transformation relation has been worked out for converting results of finite nuclei from grand canonical to canonical and vice versa. The formula shows that, irrespective of the particle number fluctuation in the grand canonical ensemble, exact canonical results can be recovered for observables varying linearly or quadratically with the number of particles. This result is of great significance since the baryon and charge conservation constraints can make the exact canonical calculations extremely difficult in general. This concept developed in this work can be extended in future for transformation to ensembles where analytical solutions do not exist. The applicability of certain equations (isoscaling, etc.) in the regime of finite nuclei can also be tested using this transformation relation.