Effects of momentum-dependent nuclear potential on two-nucleon correlation functions and light cluster production in intermediate energy heavy-ion collisions

Using an isospin- and momentum-dependent transport model, we study the effects due to the momentum dependence of isoscalar nuclear potential as well as that of symmetry potential on two-nucleon correlation functions and light cluster production in intermediate energy heavy-ion collisions induced by neutron-rich nuclei. It is found that both observables are affected significantly by the momentum dependence of nuclear potential, leading to a reduction of their sensitivity to the stiffness of nuclear symmetry energy. However, the t∕³He ratio remains a sensitive probe of the density dependence of nuclear symmetry energy.