Probing the nuclear symmetry energy with heavy-ion collisions

INFN, Sezione di Catania, via S. Sofia 64, 95123 Catania, Italy

Published online: 24 April 2015

Abstract

Heavy ion collisions (HIC) have been widely used to extract the parametrization of symmetry energy term of nuclear equation of state as a function of barionic density. HIC in fact are a unique tool in terrestrial laboratories to explore the symmetry energy around the saturation density (ρ₀ = 0.16fm⁻³) from sub-saturation densities (Fermi energies) towards compressed nuclear matter (ρ > 2 − 3ρ₀) that can be reached at relativistic energies, as a function of different conditions of temperature, mass asymmetry and isospin. One of the main study at present is to reach a coherent description of EOS of asymmetric nuclear matter from heavy ion collisions of stable and exotic nuclei, nuclear structure studies and astrophysical observations. In this work an overview of the current status of the research is shortly reviewed together with new perspectives aimed to reduce the present experimental and theoretical uncertainties.