On the formation of fragments in heavy ion collisions

Formation of fragments in simulations of symmetric heavy ion reactions between Ekin = 50 A MeV and 400 A MeV are investigated employing the Q.M.D. model. After a comparison of the results with existing data the earliest time at which the fragments can be identified is investigated. Investigating the production mechanism it was found at all energies that those nucleons which are finally in a fragment have strong initial - final state correlations in coordinate as well as in momentum space. They are important if one would like to draw conclusions from the mass dependence of dynamical quantities like the flow. (K.A.)