arXiv subjects

Ph. Chomaz

Publications and source records attributed to Ph. Chomaz.

49 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2000

Topology of event distribution as a generalized definition of phase transitions in finite systems

We propose a definition of phase transitions in finite systems based on topology anomalies of the event distribution in the space of observations. This generalizes all the definitions based on the curvature anomalies of thermodynamical potentials and provides a natural definition of order parameters. The proposed definition is directly operational from the experimental point of view. It allows to study phase transitions in Gibbs equilibria as well as in other ensembles such as the Tsallis ensemble.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2000

Multifragmentation of a very heavy nuclear system (II): bulk properties and spinodal decomposition

The properties of fragments and light charged particles emitted in multifragmentation of single sources formed in central 36AMeV Gd+U collisions are reviewed. Most of the products are isotropically distributed in the reaction c.m. Fragment kinetic energies reveal the onset of radial collective energy. A bulk effect is experimentally evidenced from the similarity of the charge distribution with that from the lighter 32AMeV Xe+Sn system. Spinodal decomposition of finite nuclear matter exhibits the same property in simulated central collisions for the two systems, and appears therefore as a possible mechanism at the origin of multifragmentation in this incident energy domain.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv1999

Atomic Bose-Einstein Condensation with Three-Body Interactions and Collective Excitations

The stability of a Bose-Einstein condensed state of trapped ultra-cold atoms is investigated under the assumption of an attractive two-body and a repulsive three-body interaction. The Ginzburg-Pitaevskii-Gross (GPG) nonlinear Schrödinger equation is extended to include an effective potential dependent on the square of the density and solved numerically for the s-wave. The lowest frequency of the collective mode is determined and its dependences on the number of atoms and on the strength of the three-body force are studied. We show that the addition of three-body dynamics can allow the number of condensed atoms to increase considerably, even when the strength of the three-body force is very small compared with the strength of the two-body force. We also observe a first-order liquid-gas phase transition for the condensed state up to a critical strength of the effective three-body force.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv1999

Liquid-Gas phase transition in Bose-Einstein Condensates with time evolution

We study the effects of a repulsive three-body interaction on a system of trapped ultra-cold atoms in Bose-Einstein condensed state. The stationary solutions of the corresponding $s-$wave non-linear Schrödinger equation suggest a scenario of first-order liquid-gas phase transition in the condensed state up to a critical strength of the effective three-body force. The time evolution of the condensate with feeding process and three-body recombination losses has a new characteristic pattern. Also, the decay time of the dense (liquid) phase is longer than expected due to strong oscillations of the mean-square-radius.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv1999

Negative heat capacity in the critical region of nuclear fragmentation: an experimental evidence of the liquid-gas phase transition

An experimental indication of negative heat capacity in excited nuclear systems is inferred from the event by event study of energy fluctuations in $Au$ quasi-projectile sources formed in $Au+Au$ collisions at 35 A.MeV. The excited source configuration is reconstructed through a calorimetric analysis of its de-excitation products. Fragment partitions show signs of a critical behavior at about 5 A.MeV excitation energy. In the same energy range the heat capacity shows a negative branch providing a direct evidence of a first order liquid gas phase transition.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv1999

Liquid-Gas phase transition in Bose-Einstein Condensates

We study the effects of a repulsive three-body interaction on a system of trapped ultra-cold atoms in a Bose-Einstein condensed state. The corresponding $s-$wave non-linear Schrödinger equation is solved numerically and also by a variational approach. A first-order liquid-gas phase transition is observed for the condensed state up to a critical strength of the effective three-body force.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv1998

Boson expansion methods applied to a two-level model in the study of multiple giant resonances

We apply boson expansion methods to an extended Lipkin-Meshkov-Glick model including anharmonicities in analogy with previous microscopic calculations. We study the effects of different approximations present in these calculations, among which the truncation of the hamiltonian and of the space, in connection with the study of the properties of two-phonon and three-phonon states. By comparing the approximate results on the spectrum with the exact ones we conclude that the approximations made in the microscopic calculations on two-phonon states are well justified. We find also that a good agreement with the exact results for the three-phonon state is obtained by using a bosonic hamiltonian truncated at the fourth order. This result makes us confident that such approximation can be used in realistic calculations, thus allowing a theoretical study of triple excitations of giant resonances.

nucl-th↗

arXiv1998

Quantum and statistical fluctuations in dynamical symmetry breaking

Dynamical symmetry breaking in an expanding nuclear system is investigated in semi-classical and quantum framework by employing a collective transport model which is constructed to mimic the collective behavior of expanding systems. It is shown that the fluctuations in collective coordinates during the expansion are developed mainly by the enhancement of the initial fluctuations by the driving force, and that statistical and quantum fluctuations have similar consequences. It is pointed out that the quantal fluctuations may play an important role in the development of instabilities by reducing the time needed to break the symmetry, and the possible role of quantal fluctuations in spinodal decomposition of nuclei is discussed.

nucl-th↗

arXiv1998

Quantal Extension of Mean-Field Dynamics

A method is presented for numerical implementation of the extended TDHF theory in which two-body correlations beyond the mean-field approximation are incorporated in the form of a quantal collision term. The method is tested in a model problem in which the exact solution can be obtained numerically. Whereas the usual TDHF fails to reproduce the long time evolution, a very good agreement is found between the extended TDHF and the exact solution.

nucl-th↗

arXiv1998

Time-Dependent Hartree-Fock simulation of the expansion of abraded nuclei

A recent interpretation of the caloric curve based on the expansion of the abraded spectator nucleus is re-analysed in the framework of the Time-Dependent Hartree-Fock (TDHF) evolution. It is shown that the TDHF dynamics is more complex than a single monopolar collective motion at moderate energy. The inclusion of other important collective degrees of freedom may lead to the dynamical creation of hollow structure. Then, low density regions could be locally reached after a long time by the creation of these exotic density profiles. In particular the systematic of the minimum density reached during the expansion (the so-called turning points) appears to be different.

nucl-th↗

arXiv1998

Expansion and evaporation of hot nuclei: Comparison between semi-classical and quantal mean-field approaches

We present a general discussion of the mean field dynamics of finite nuclei prepared under extreme conditions of temperature and pressure. We compare the prediction of semi-classical approximation with complete quantum simulations. Many features of the dynamics are carefully studied such as the collective expansion, the evaporation process, the different time-scale... This study points out many quantitative differences between quantum and semi-classical approaches. Part of the differences are related to numerical features inherent in semi-classical simulations but most of them are a direct consequence of the non treatment of nuclei as quantal objects. In particular, we show that because of a too strong damping in semi-classical approaches the expansion of hot nuclei is quenched and the speed of the collective motion reduced.

nucl-th↗

arXiv1996

Role of anharmonicities and non-linearities in heavy ion collisions. A microscopic approach

Using a microscopic approach beyond RPA to treat anharmonicities, we mix two-phonon states among themselves and with one-phonon states. We also introduce non-linear terms in the external field. These non-linear terms and the anharmonicities are not taken into account in the "standard" multiphonon picture. Within this framework we calculate Coulomb excitation of 208Pb and 40Ca by a 208Pb nucleus at 641 and 1000MeV/A. We show with different examples the importance of the non-linearities and anharmonicities for the excitation cross section. We find an increase of 10 % for 208Pb and 20 % for 40Ca of the excitation cross section corresponding to the energy region of the double giant dipole resonance with respect to the "standard" calculation. We also find important effects in the low energy region. The predicted cross section in the DGDR region is found to be rather close to the experimental observation.

nucl-th↗

arXiv1995

Analysis of Boltzmann-Langevin Dynamics in Nuclear Matter

The Boltzmann-Langevin dynamics of harmonic modes in nuclear matter is analyzed within linear-response theory, both with an elementary treatment and by using the frequency-dependent response function. It is shown how the source terms agitating the modes can be obtained from the basic BL correlation kernel by a simple projection onto the associated dual basis states, which are proportional to the RPA amplitudes and can be expressed explicitly. The source terms for the correlated agitation of any two such modes can then be extracted directly, without consideration of the other modes. This facilitates the analysis of collective modes in unstable matter and makes it possible to asses the accuracy of an approximate projection technique employed previously.

nucl-th↗