Density dependence of the symmetry energy and the nuclear equation of state: A dynamical and statistical model perspective

The density dependence of the symmetry energy in the equation of state of isospin asymmetric nuclear matter is of significant importance for studying the structure of systems as diverse as the neutron-rich nuclei and the neutron stars. A number of reactions using the dynamical and the statistical models of multifragmentation, and the experimental isoscaling observable, are studied to extract information on the density dependence of the symmetry energy. It is observed that the dynamical and the statistical model calculations give consistent results assuming the sequential decay effect in dynamical model to be small. A comparison with several other independent studies is also made to obtain important constraints on the form of the density dependence of the symmetry energy. The comparison rules out an extremely 'stiff' and 'soft' forms of the density dependence of the symmetry energy with important implications for astrophysical and nuclear physics studies.