Study of multifragmentation: contribution of reduced velocity correlations between particles and fragments

This work is focused on the study of fragment and light particle production mechanisms in the multifragmentation process of hot nuclei, which are formed in the central collisions of Xe+Sn at 50 MeV/u. The experiment has been performed with the INDRA multidetector. The central collision events, selected via the flow angle variable, exhibit the presence of a heavy (Z=90) and highly excited (E*=12.5 MeV/u) isotropic emission source. The comparison of the data with a statistical multifragmentation model (MMMC) and a dynamical model (BNV) makes us conclude that the multifragmentation can only be explained in the frame of a relatively cold process, around 6 MeV/u of thermal excitation energy, preceded by a primary emission stage of the expanding source, during which nearly one third of the excitation energy is dissipated. In addition, it appears that the fragment energy spectra are not explained by a purely thermal process, and that one has to put forward an expansion collective motion, of 2 MeV/u of energy, following the compression of the compound system. In order to precise the existence of a two-step particle emission (primary and secondary), we have developed and applied an original method of reduced velocity correlations between particles and fragments. It has allowed us to underline two distinct origins for the particle production: one corresponding to secondary emissions, coming from the fragments, and the other one, associated with emissions which occur prior to the fragment production. At last, it has allowed us, also to bring out a hierarchy in the emission time in the decay process, with respect to the particle type. (author)