A semi-empirical determination of the properties of nuclear matter

The temperature dependence of the coefficients in the semi-empirical mass formula has been determined from a least squares fit to the canonical ensemble average of the excitation energy for nuclei throughout the periodic table. The low temperature behavior in the leading coefficient, the bulk energy density, is in disagreement with current parameterizations used in the equations of state for symmetric nuclear matter. Peaked structure in the specific heat occurs at a temperature of approximately 1 MeV in agreement with theoretical predictions of the critical temperature of a pairing phase transition in nuclear matter. © 1994.