The nuclear fragmentation reaction at relativistic energies can be described
in two steps which occur in two distinctly different timescales. The first
spontaneous interaction (~10-23 seconds) may modify the
composition of the reaction partners and produce a hot interaction zone as
well as prefragments where part of the nucleons of projectile and target
keep on moving almost undisturbed with their initial velocities
(abrasion stage). In the second reaction step (ablation stage) the excited
prefragments may fission or evaporate neutrons, protons or light nuclei
before gamma-ray emission takes place (~10-16 seconds).
File translated from TEX by TTH, version 1.92.
On 19 Mar 2001, 13:29.