Slow nuclear decoherence: possibilities to detect the decay of thermalized-nonequilibrated matter

The statistical reactions with memory approach suggests the possibility of forming thermalized-nonequilibrated matter in nucleon-induced reactions. Un like the fully equilibrated compound nucleus of Bohr, the decay of the ther malized-nonequilibrated system is characterised by the forward peaking of t he evaporating particles and the significant spontaneous channel-channel co rrelation. This correlation results in the nonself-averaging of the excitat ion function fluctuations in the evaporation domain of the spectra offering a new possibility to experimentally detect the slow nuclear decoherence an d the decay of the thermalized-nonequilibrated matter. The quantitative est imation of the effect for the Nb-93(n,p) reaction at E-n similar or equal t o 14 MeV yields similar or equal to 30-40% for the relative magnitude of fl uctuations at the maximum, E-p similar or equal to 6-8 MeV, of the proton e vaporation spectrum. (C) 1999 Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.