The connection between the fragment yield and the associated specific entropy of participant matter produced in the course of a relativistic heavy ion collision is studied within the cascade approach. The essential impact parameter dependence of the fragment yield indicates that the specific entropy increases with impact parameter and that the breakup density is the larger the more central the collision process is. The results show that the bulk equilibrium limit for the entropy production is not reached for such heavy systems as Nb+Nb at 400 MeV/nucleon and that the finite size effects and the dynamical freeze-out process are dominant factors in determining the cluster abundances.

• Received 7 May 1986

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.34.1294