MULTI-FRAGMENT PRODUCTION IN THE 32 S+ 58;64 Ni REACTIONS AT 11 A MeV

MeV have beeninvestigated to evidence the possible rise of multi-fragmentation processes at lowexcitation energies. The importance of such phenomena consists in the fact thatthey could represent the signature of a nuclear phase transition from a liquid to agas region. Evidence of multi-fragment production is displayed by the present data;even if the yield of such events is compatible with the predictions of statistical mod-els, the partition of the mass of the decaying system cannot be easily reproduced.Some preliminary indications of isospin e ects are suggested by looking at the dif-ferences between the two reacting systems.