Thermal and dynamic multifragmentation of hot nuclei similarities and differences

The experimental data on fragment multiplicities, their energy and charge d istributions, the emission times are considered for the nuclear multifragme ntation process induced by relativistic light projectiles (protons, helium) and heavy ions. With light projectiles, the multifragmentation is a pure " thermal" process, well described by the statistical models. Heavy-ion-induc ed multifragmentation is influenced by dynamic effects related first of all to the compression of the system in the collision. But statistical models can also be applied to rendering the partition of the system if the excitat ion energy is less than 10 MeV/nucleon and compression is modest. For the c entral collision of heavy ions the statistical approach fails to describe t he data.