Collective flows of $^{16}$O + $^{16}$O collisions with $\alpha$-clustering configurations

Abstract

The main purpose of the present paper is to discuss whether or not the collective flows in heavy-ion collision at Fermi energy can be taken as a tool to investigate the cluster configuration in light nuclei. In practice, within an Extended Quantum Molecular Dynamics model, four $\alpha$-clustering (linear chain, kite, square, and tetrahedron) configurations of $^{16}$O are employed in the initialization, $^{16}$O+$^{16}$O around Fermi energy (40 - 60 MeV$/$nucleon) with impact parameter 1 - 3 fm are simulated, the directed and elliptic flows are analyzed. It is found that collective flows are influenced by the different $\alpha$-clustering configurations, and the directed flow of free protons is more sensitive to the initial cluster configuration than the elliptic flow. Nuclear reaction at Fermi energy can be taken a useful way to study cluster configuration in light nuclei.