Velocity-dependent transverse momentum distribution of fragments produced from ^<40>Ar+^9Be at 95 MeV/nucleon

Transverse momentum (P_T) distributions of projectilelike fragments produced at intermediate energy are investigated. P_T distributions of fragments with mass A_F=10-37, produced from an ^<40>Ar beam with E=95MeV/nucleon and a Be target, are observed as a function of fragment velocity by using the Rikagaku Kenkyusho (RIKEN) Projectile Fragment Separator at RIKEN. The width of PT distribution (σT) decreases monotonically with longitudinal momentum (PL). The decreasing trend shows a clear dependence on fragment mass. The observed σT is analyzed with a linear function and successfully reproduced by a parameter to characterize the decreasing trend. σT at the primary beam velocity shows good agreement with the Goldhaber formula, which is obtained on the basis of the contribution of the Fermi momentum. In contrast, the σT at the center of the PL distribution as determined by using the fits and parametrized energy loss in the fragmentation process is consistent with the width, which includes an additional contribution from the orbital deflection of the projectile. The antisymmetrized molecular-dynamics calculation indicates that the contribution of impact parameters is an important factor in understanding the behavior of the PT distribution. In addition, the practical formulation for σT obtained in the present study enables a reliable characterization of the fragments, which would be applicable to various research fields involving, for example, radioactive nuclear beams