The statistical multifragmentation model for liquid–gas phase transition with a compressible nuclear liquid

We propose a new formulation of the statistical multifragmentation model based on the analysis of the virial expansion for a system of the nuclear fragments of all sizes. The developed model not only allows us to account for short-range repulsion, but also to calculate the surface free energy which is induced by the interaction between the fragments. Also we propose a new parameterization for the liquid phase pressure which allows us to introduce a compressible nuclear liquid into the statistical multifragmentation model. The resulting model is exactly solvable and has no irregular behavior of the isotherms in the mixed phase region that is typical for mean-field models. The general conditions for the 1-st and 2-nd (or higher) order phase transitions are formulated. It is shown that all endpoints of the present model phase diagram are the tricritical points, if the Fisher exponent τ   is in the range 32⩽τ⩽2. The treatment of nuclear liquid compressibility allows us to reduce the tricritical endpoint density of the statistical multifragmentation model to one third of the normal nuclear density. A specific attention is paid to the fragment size distributions in the region of a negative surface tension at supercritical temperatures.