Heavy-ion collisions: preliminary results of a new QMD model coupled with FLUKA

Quantum Molecular Dynamics (QMD) models are considered viable tools to simulate the initial hot stages of heavy-ion collisions and investigate the properties of the nuclear matter equation of state. A new QMD model has been developed by scratch by our group during the last few years and recently coupled to the FLUKA fission/Fermi breakup/evaporation module which describes the latest stage of the reactions, when slower processes leading nuclei to the equilibrium occur. Comparisons with experimental data collected both in symmetric and in asymmetric collisions are shown, covering a wide range of projectile and target masses. Reproduction of the experimental light particle (Z < 3) yields is one of the most difficult challenges to be met by QMD models, traditionally prone to underestimate α particle emission while dramatically overestimating proton and neutron emission. Our results seem to be quite satisfactory with respect to this issue, thanks to the form of the potential terms involved in the nucleon-nucleon interaction and to many refinements applied in the fragment definition scheme, based on the potential which each particle experiences because of its neighbors. Nucleon isospin is taken into account all over the simulation, as well as the experimental binding energy constraints on nuclear states. The introduction of further refinements to describe pre-equilibrium processes is under development.