In-medium NN cross sections determined from stopping and collective flow in intermediate-energy heavy-ion collisions

Abstract

In-medium nucleon-nucleon scattering cross sections are explored by comparing results of quantum molecular dynamics simulations to data on stopping and on elliptic and directed flow in intermediate-energy heavy-ion collisions. The comparison points to in-medium cross sections which are suppressed at low energies but not at higher energies. Positive correlations are found between the degree of stopping and the magnitudes of elliptic and directed flows.