Study of the ¹²C+¹⁹⁷Au Reaction at Relativistic Energies with the INDRA 4π Multidetector

The INDRA[at]GSI experiment allows one to explore the mechanisms of the reaction ¹²C+¹⁹⁷Au in normal kinematics by the use of the INDRA 4π multidetector and relativistic ¹²C beams. The target spectator source is determined for protons and light fragments, separately from the early cascade source emitting light particles and a high energy source producing fragments approximately in the center of mass. The proton kinetic energy spectra are compared to combinations of the Liege Intranuclear Cascade model and statistical models. The favoured scenario associates a cascade process with a statistical multifragmentation process. The fragment slope temperatures determined by a Maxwell-Boltzmann function combination emphasize a dependence on incident energy, with the reaction centrality given by the charged particle multiplicity. The pions, for the first time detected in INDRA, and the fast protons emitted in the early stage of the reaction present a correlation with the impact parameter but not with the fragment production. (author)