Extraction of the Multifragmentation Time Scale In Intermediate Energy Heavy-Ion Reactions

The spatial and temporal extent of a system decaying by multifragment emission is deduced. Two-particle intermediate mass fragment correlation functions measured for central $^{36}\mathrm{Ar}$${+}^{197}$Au collisions at E/A=50--110 MeV indicate a rapid decay, 75 fm/c, of the highly excited system. Furthermore, the behavior of the correlation function at large relative velocities suggests that considerable charge loss occurs prior to fragment emission.