Isospin fractionation in the nucleon emissions and fragment emissions in the intermediate energy heavy ion collisions Original Research Article

The degree of isospin fractionation is measured by (N/Z)n/(N/Z)Nimf, where (N/Z)n and (N/Z)Nimf are the saturated neutron–proton ratio of nucleon emissions (gas phase) and that of fragment emissions (liquid phase) in heavy ion collision at intermediate energy. The calculated results by using the isospin-dependent quantum molecular dynamics model show that the degree of isospin fractionation is sensitive to the neutron–proton ratio of colliding system but insensitive to the difference between the neutron–proton ratio of target and that of projectile. In particular, the degree of isospin fractionation sensitively depends on the symmetry potential. However, its dependences on the isospin dependent in-medium nucleon–nucleon cross section and momentum dependent interaction are rather weak. The nucleon emission (gas phase) mainly determines the dynamical behavior of the degree of isospin fractionation in the isospin fractionation process, compared to the effect of fragment emission. In this case, we propose that (N/Z)n/(N/Z)Nimf or (N/Z)n can be directly compared with the experimental data so that the information about symmetry potential can be obtained.