Nuclear multifragmentation within the framework of different statistical ensembles

The sensitivity of the statistical multifragmentation model to the underlying statistical assumptions is investigated. We concentrate on its microcanonical, canonical, and isobaric formulations. As far as average values are concerned, our results reveal that all the ensembles make very similar predictions, as long as the relevant macroscopic variables (such as temperature, excitation energy, and breakup volume) are the same in all statistical ensembles. It also turns out that the multiplicity dependence of the breakup volume in the microcanonical version of the model mimics a system at (approximately) constant pressure, at least in the plateau region of the caloric curve. However, in contrast to average values, our results suggest that the distributions of physical observables are quite sensitive to the statistical assumptions. This finding may help in deciding which hypothesis corresponds to the best picture for the freeze-out stage.