Temperature Measurements in Low Excitation Energy Reactions to Probe a Possible Phase Transition

Several methods have been used to determine the temperatures of systems formed in multifragmentation reactions. From these temperatures, caloric curves can be constructed and possible nuclear phase transitions can be explored. This work presents a previously observed, low temperature phase transition predicted by a theoretical simulation, and an experimental proposal to observe this transition. The proposed experiment will explore what types of reactions produce fragments near the phase transition temperature, and expand the range of fragments that can be detected in this low temperature region.