Multifragmentation in Heavy-Ion Reactions: Theory and Experiments

This book provides a collection of reviews of some of the recent developments in nuclear physics research at intermediate energies from across the globe. It especially focuses on the most essential aspects, such as multifragmentation and associated phenomena in nuclear collisions, with the incident energy region between a few MeV and several hundreds of MeV/nucleon. The topic of the book―multifragmentation―was chosen based on the fact that all heavy-ion collisions revolve around a fragmenting system, which is also thought to have a link to phase transitions. One unique and valuable dimension of this book is that it has brought together the research of several experts working in the field of intermediate energy heavy-ion collisions in various renowned laboratories of the world. It provides a thorough review of the recent developments in various related phenomena, especially multifragmentation, observed at the intermediate-energy range, both theoretically and experimentally. It extensively discusses the concept of nuclear symmetry energy, which is important for the nuclear physics and astrophysics communities. In addition, the book identifies potential research directions and technologies that will drive future innovations. It will serve as a valuable reference for a larger audience, including students who wish to pursue a career in nuclear physics and astrophysics.

Rajeev K. Puri is the chairperson of the Department of Physics, and the university coordinator of RUSA (National Higher Education Mission), Panjab University, Chandigarh, India. He earned his PhD in theoretical nuclear physics in 1991 from Panjab University. He was a postdoctoral fellow at the Institut für Theoretische Physik, Universität Tübingen, Germany, and a visiting scientist at Laboratoire de Physique Nucleaire, Universite de Nantes, France. Prof. Puri is a recipient of the Young Scientist Research Award of the Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India; S. N. Satyamurthy Memorial Award conferred by the Indian Physics Association; and various Himachal Excellence Awards.

Yu-Gang Ma is a professor at Fudan University, Shanghai, China. He earned his PhD in July 1994 from the Shanghai Institute of Nuclear Research (now Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, SINAP) and was promoted to be a full professor in December 1994 at SINAP shortly after graduation. He has been a Wang Kuan Cheng fellow at LPC Caen, France, and a visiting scholar at the Texas A&M University, USA. Prof. Ma was elected as an academician member of CAS in 2017 and a fellow of the American Physical Society (APS) in 2015. He has served as the chief scientist of the 973 Program, a basic research national program of PR China. He has been honored with the OCPA AAA (Robert T. Poe Prize) in 2015.

Arun Sharma is assistant professor of physics in Higher Education Department, Jammu and Kashmir, India. He earned his PhD in theoretical nuclear physics from the University of Jammu, India. He has been the organizing secretary of two national and three state-level science conferences and has also been invited to deliver a talk at the International Workshop on Nuclear Dynamics in Heavy-Ion Reactions (IWND2018), held at Huzhou University, Zhejiang, and to visit the Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics (SINAP), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), China. He has chaired sessions in international conferences. Dr Sharma has received letters of appreciation from several organizations, including one from NGPE, Indian Association of Physics Teachers (IAPT). He has published several research papers in national and international journals of repute. He is also the corresponding editor of this book.