Space-time characteristics of fragment emission in theE/A=30 MeVXe129+natCu reaction

Intermediate-mass-fragment emission has been studied in central {ital E}/{ital A}=30 MeV {sup 129}Xe+{sup nat}Cu reactions. The measured fragment multiplicities, reduced-velocity correlation functions, and emission velocities have been compared with schematic three-body trajectory calculations and with three statistical models with input based upon a dynamical BNV code. The statistical models which include expansion either explicitly or implicitly are able to generate a sufficient number of fragments. The three-body trajectory calculations indicate a mean emission time of {approx}200 fm/{ital c}, consistent with sequential decay. Dynamical expanding-emitting source calculations predict a similar time scale for fragment emission and give satisfactory agreement with the experimental correlation functions if the experimental angular distributions are incorporated into the model. The Berlin multifragmentation model gives good agreement with the experimental charge distributions, and, depending upon the choice of radius parameter, can provide agreement with either the correlation functions or the fragment emission velocities, but not with both simultaneously. Although an overall good agreement is obtained in the statistical model comparisons, even in the most violent collisions the angular distributions and fragment emission velocities are incompatible with completely equilibrated decay from a single source.