Simulation of statistical ensembles suitable for the description of nuclear multifragmentation

A general statistical ensemble is defined. The statistical weights for each configuration and consequently the mean value of any global observable can be expressed analytically. Since the resulting formulas are not numerically tractable, a statistical method of simulation is proposed. The method, a generalization of Koonin and Randrup's procedure, provides an exploration of configuration space according to the detailed balance principle. This method is then applied to investigate the nuclear multifragmentation phenomenon. Charge and mass distributions calculated for reactions ⁴⁰Ar+⁴⁵Sc at 35--115 MeV/nucleon and ⁹³Nb+⁹Be at 11.4 and 30.3 MeV/nucleon are compared with the respective experimental data.