ON THE OBSERVATION OF A TRANSITION FROM FUSION TO MULTIFRAGMENTATION IN HIGH MULTIPLICITY O-16 INDUCED REACTIONS

We have studied high multiplicity 16O + Br and 16O + Ag collisions from 10A to 220A MeV on an event-by-event basis. The collisions with the highest multiplicity are fusion-like for energies below 35A MeV whereas at higher energies the onset of multifragmentation (two or more medium mass fragments) is observed with a charge distribution which gets less and less wide with increasing energy. Correlations between high moments of the charge distribution and the maximum charge or the total multiplicity have been studied. These correlations are generally well described by statistical models. Predicted signals of critical behaviour are however not observed. © 1990.