INCLUSIVE EXCITATION-ENERGY DISTRIBUTIONS OF HOT NUCLEI FROM 44 MEV NUCLEON AR-INDUCED AND 32 MEV NUCLEON KR-INDUCED REACTIONS

Inclusive neutron multiplicity distributions were measured by means of 4pi liquid-scintillator detectors for Ar and Kr-induced reactions at 44 MeV/nucleon and 32 MeV/nucleon, respectively. For all the systems s tudied, the observed distributions exhibit a bump structure at large m ultiplicity, corresponding to highly dissipative collisions. For Ar-in duced reactions, the excitation energies necessary to explain the most probable neutron multiplicity associated with these dissipative colli sions are estimated, the correspondence between excitation energy and neutron multiplicity being calculated in the framework of the statisti cal model. The so-obtained values of excitation energies, which are sy stematically lower than those predicted using the massive-transfer pic ture, are discussed.