[en] A systematic survey of deep inelastic reactions was performed for colliding nuclei of masses between 80 and 240 amu. The application of large surface detectors and, particularly, of a position sensitive ionization chamber, has proved to be very effective and appropriate for this type of investigation. The Wilczynski diagrams describing the relative motion between the colliding objects shows a gradual trend as a function of growing masses of target and projectile where the trajectories lead the particles not toward negative scattering angles but increasingly into the direction around and above the grazing angle. This behavior is attributed to a delicate balance between Coulomb and nuclear forces. The energy dumping as a function of the mass transfer strength matches a general law between total kinetic energy loss and the variance of the proton number distribution. For the partly damped component this relation seems to hold independently from the choice of ingoing channel and bombarding energy. The dissipation of the kinetic energy does not depend only on the relative velocity of the impinging nuclei, and the simple friction model is not appropriate to describe these processes. The γ-multiplicity measurement displays a rapid increase as a function of scattering angle and total kinetic energy loss, which give new insights to the process and indicate the necessity of microscopic quantum mechanical calculations of the interaction. In the U-U collision large mass transfers are present which possibly populate with relatively large cross sections the transuranic elements. In the Pb-Pb reaction the mass transfer is more restricted. The decay probability by fission of the primary masses increases strongly for growing masses and excitation energies

[en] Those qualitative properties of nuclei, and of their energetic collisions, which seem of most importance for the flow of nuclear matter are listed and briefly discussed. It is suggested that nuclear matter flow is novel among fluid dynamical problems. The name, Nuclear Fermi Dynamics, is proposed as an appropriate unambiguous label. The Principle of Commensurability, which suggests the measurement of the theoretical content of an approach against its expected predictive range is set forth and discussed. Several of the current approaches to the nuclear matter flow problem are listed and subjected to such a test. It is found that the Time-Dependent Hartree-Fock (TDHF) description, alone of all the major theoretical approaches currently in vogue, incorporates each of the major qualitative features within its very concise single mathematical assumption. Some limitations of the conventional TDHF method are noted, and one particular defect is discussed in detail: the Spurious Cross Channel Correlations which arise whenever several asymptotic reaction channels must be simultaneously described by a single determinant. A reformulated Time-Dependent-S-Matrix Hartree-Fock Theory is proposed, which obviates this difficulty. It is noted that the structure of TD-S-HF can be applied to a more general class of non-linear wave mechanical problems than simple TDHF. Physical requirements minimal to assure that TD-S-HF represents a sensible reaction theory are utilized to prescribe the definition of acceptable asymptotic channels. That definition, in turn, defines the physical range of the TD-S-HF theory as the description of collisions of certain mathematically well-defined objects of mixed quantal and classical character, the ''TDHF droplets.''

[en] The time-dependent mean field approximation is briefly discussed and then applied to such nuclear problems as heavy ion collisions, fission and pion condensation

[en] A brief account is given of the dynamical properties of nuclei, with particular emphasis on the mechanism of nuclear dissipation in the extreme one-body limit. The approach is based on the application of linear response techniques to the independent particle model of the nucleus

[en] High Density Nuclear Mach Shock Waves (HDNMSW) occurring in central heavy ion collisions of high energy are up to now the only tool to produce and investigate bulks of highly excited and strongly compressed nuclear matter. Due to strong meson (π-, sigma-) condensates phase transitions of dense nuclear matter into density isomeric states (superdense nuclei) can be expected. A discussion is given of the occurrence of pion condensation in, and the influence of phase transitions on, relativistic nucleus nucleus collisions. The propagation of HDNMSW is calculated in a relativistic dynamical model. The comparison of the calculated angular, and energy distributions for the emission of matter with recent experimental data seems to indicate a phase transition in nuclear matter at densities of about 3 rho₀

[en] A survey is presented of the experimental information presently available for nuclear reactions induced by 15 to 20 MeV/amu ¹²C, ¹⁴N and ¹⁶O projectiles. Fusion, fission-like and fragmentation reactions are discussed

[en] The occurrence of compression phenomena and shock waves, connected with the increase of the density of the nuclear matter during the interpenetration of two fast nuclei, are discussed. Current experiments dealing with this problem are reviewed. Before considering the mechanism of the interpenetration of two fast nuclei it may be useful to look at more simple situations, i.e., proton-proton interactions, then to envelop them with nuclear matter, considering proton-nucleus interactions. Only very general features are described, which may give suggestions for the understanding of the nucleus-nucleus impact

[en] The quasi static approach to deep inelastic reactions, its basic assumptions as well as its fundamental formulas, are reviewed. The typical experimental features are briefly discussed. An application using phenomenological forces is described and compared with the experimental results

[en] A microscopic theory of heavy ion reactions based on the intranuclear cascade model is briefly discussed in an attempt to study the compression of nuclear matter. Double differential cross sections of ²⁰Ne + ²³⁸U are shown as functions of impact parameter and bombarding energy for energies between 100 and 900 MeV/nucleon

[en] A transport equation for deeply inelastic collisions is derived from a random-matrix model for the form factors for inelastic scattering and transfer reactions. The parametrization of these form factors is discussed. Results in one dimension indicate the importance of quantum fluctuations, and limitations of other approaches to the same problem. Results of three dimensions are compared with the data