Proton induced spallation reactions in the energy range 0.1 - 10 GeV

• Main Author: Kowalczyk, Anna
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 04.01.2008
• Subjects: Physics - Nuclear Theory
• DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.0801.0700

One of considered nowadays scenarios of proton - nucleus reaction is spallation. Its motivation is based on experimental final-state observations of one heavy nucleus, a small number of light fragments and numerous individual nucleons. It is theoretically described as two step process involving energy deposition in the target nucleus and subsequent evaporation. Several models, based on different assumptions, have been constructed in order to describe the spallation process. The main subject of this work is description of global average properties of proton induced spallation reactions in wide range of projectile energy (0.1 - 10 GeV) and mass of target nuclei. This is investigated within Hadron String Dynamics (HSD) model, based on Boltzmann - Uehling - Uhlenbeck (BUU) equation, supplemented by a statistical evaporation model for the second stage of the reaction. It has been shown that spallation is the most probable scenario of proton - nucleus reaction. Proton induced reactions, in considered here incident energy range, are visibly non-invasive processes. Properties of residual nuclei after the first stage of the reaction are weakly dependent on incident energy, but strongly dependent on mass of target. The second stage of the reaction is a competition of evaporation and fission. Results obtained from the HSD model vary smoothly as function of proton incident energy and mass of target, so interpolation of the results is quite feasible.