Signals for a transition from surface to bulk emission in thermal multifragmentation
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Excitation-energy-gated two-fragment correlation functions have been studied between E*/A = (2-9) A MeV for equilibriumlike sources formed in 810 GeV/c and p+197 Au reactions. Comparison with an N-body Coulomb-trajectory code shows an order of magnitude decrease in the fragment emission time in the interval E*/A =(2-5) A MeV, followed by a nearly constant breakup time at higher excitation energy. The decrease in emission time is strongly correlated with the onset of multifragmentation and thermally induced radial expansion, consistent with a transition from surface-dominated to bulk emission expected for spinodal decomposition. 2000 The American Physical Society.