Probing the density dependence of the symmetry energy by nucleon flow

In the framework of the isospin-dependent Boltzmann-Uehling-Uhlenbeck transport model, sensitive regions of some nucleon observables to the nuclear symmetry energy are studied. It is found that the symmetry-energy-sensitive observable n/p ratio in the Sn-132 + Sn-124 reaction at 0.3 GeV/nucleon in fact just probes the density-dependent symmetry energy below the density of 1.5 rho(0) and effectively probes the density-dependent symmetry energy around or somewhat below the saturation density. Nucleon elliptic flow can probe the symmetry energy from the low-density region to the high-density region when changing the incident beam energies from 0.3 to 0.6 GeV/nucleon in the semi-central Sn-132 + Sn-124 reaction. And nucleon transverse and elliptic flows in the semi-central Au-197 + Au-197 reaction at 0.6 GeV/nucleon are more sensitive to the high-density behavior of the nuclear symmetry energy. One thus concludes that nucleon observables in the heavy reaction system and with higher incident beam energy are more suitable to be used to probe the high-density behavior of the symmetry energy. The present study may help one to get more specific information about the density-dependent symmetry energy from nucleon flow observable in heavy-ion collisions at intermediate energies.