The symmetry energy of the nuclear EoS: a study of collective motion and low-energy reaction dynamics in semiclassical approaches

In the framework of mean-field based transport approaches, we discuss recent results concerning collective motion and low-energy heavy ion reactions involving neutron-rich systems. We focus on aspects which are particularly sensitive to the isovector terms of the nuclear effective interaction and the corresponding symmetry energy. As far as collective excitations are concerned, we discuss the mixed nature of dipole oscillations in neutron-rich systems. On the other hand, for reactions close to the Coulomb barrier, we investigate the structure of pre-equilibrium collective dipole oscillations, focusing on their sensitivity to the symmetry energy behavior below normal density. Nucleon emission is also considered within the same context. The possible impact of other relevant terms of the nuclear effective interaction on these mechanisms is also examined. From this analysis we expect to put further constraints on the nuclear Equation of State, of crucial importance also in the astrophysical context.