No Arabic abstract
A complete set of existing data on hot fusion reactions leading to synthesis of superheavy nuclei of Z =114-118, obtained in a series of experiments in Dubna and later in GSI Darmstadt and LBNL Berkeley, was analyzed in terms of a new angular-momentum dependent version of the Fusion by Diffusion (FBD) model with fission barriers and ground-state masses taken from the Warsaw macroscopic-microscopic model (involving non-axial shapes) of Kowal et al. The only empirically adjustable parameter of the model, the injection-point distance (sinj), has been determined individually for all the reactions and very regular systematics of this parameter have been established. The regularity of the obtained sinj systematics indirectly points at the internal consistency of the whole set of fission barriers used in the calculations. Having fitted all the experimental excitation functions for elements Z = 114-118, the FBD model (with the new sinj systematics) was used to predict cross sections for synthesis of elements Z = 119 and 120. Regarding prospects to produce the new element Z = 119, our calculations prefer the 252Es(48Ca,xn)300-x119 reaction, for which the synthesis cross section of about 0.2 pb in 4n channel at Ec.m.= 220 MeV is expected. The most favorable reaction to synthesize the element Z = 120 turns out to be 249Cf(50Ti,xn)299-x120, but the predicted cross section for this reaction is only 6 fb (for 3n and 4n channels).
The synthesis of superheavy elements stimulates the effort to study the peculiarities of the complete fusion with massive nuclei and to improve theoretical models in order to extract knowledge about reaction mechanism in heavy ion collisions at low energies. We compare the theoretical results of the compound nucleus (CN) formation and evaporation residue (ER) cross sections obtained for the $^{48}$Ca+$^{248}$Cm and $^{58}$Fe+$^{232}$Th reactions leading to the formation of the isotopes A=296 and A=290, respectively, of the new superheavy element Lv (Z=116). The ER cross sections, which can be measured directly, are determined by the complete fusion and survival probabilities of the heated and rotating compound nucleus. That probabilities can not be measured unambiguously but the knowledge about them is important to study the formation mechanism of the observed products. For this aim, the $^{48}$Ca+$^{249}$Cf and $^{64}$Ni+$^{232}$Th reactions have been considered too. The use of the mass values of superheavy nuclei calculated in the framework of the macroscopic-microscopic model by Warsaw group leads to smaller ER cross section for all of the reactions (excluding the $^{64}$Ni+$^{232}$Th reaction) in comparison with the case of using the masses calculated by Peter Moller {it et al}.
The fusion and evaporation residue cross sections for the $^{50}$Ti+$^{249}$Cf and $^{54}$Cr+$^{248}$Cm reactions calculated by the combined dinuclear system and advanced statistical models are compared. These reactions are considered to be used to synthesize the heaviest superheavy element. The $^{50}$Ti+$^{249}$Cf reaction is more mass asymmetric than $^{54}$Cr+$^{248}$Cm and the fusion excitation function for the former reaction is higher than the one for the latter reaction. The evaporation residue excitation functions for the mass asymmetric reaction is higher in comparison with the one of the $^{54}$Cr+$^{248}$Cm reaction. The use of the mass values of superheavy nuclei calculated in the framework of the macroscopic-microscopic model by the Warsaw group leads to smaller evaporation residue cross section for both the reactions in comparison with the case of using the masses calculated by Peter Moller {it et al}. The $^{50}$Ti+$^{249}$Cf reaction is more favorable in comparison with the $^{54}$Cr+$^{248}$Cm reaction: the maximum values of the excitation function of the 3n-channel of the evaporation residue formation for the $^{50}$Ti+$^{249}$Cf and $^{54}$Cr+$^{248}$Cm reactions are about 0.1 and 0.07 pb, respectively, but the yield of the 4n-channel for the former reaction is lower (0.004 pb) in comparison with the one (0.01 pb) for the latter reaction.
With a help of the selfconsistent Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov (HFB) approach with the D1S effective Gogny interaction and the Generator Coordinate Method (GCM) we incorporate the transverse collective vibrations to the one-dimensional model of the fission-barrier penetrability based on the traditional WKB method. The average fission barrier corresponding to the least-energy path in the two-dimensional potential energy landscape as function of quadrupole and octupole degrees of freedom is modified by the influence of the transverse collective vibrations along the nuclear path to fission. The set of transverse vibrational states built in the fission valley corresponding to a successively increasing nuclear elongation produces the new energy barrier which is compared with the least-energy barrier. These collective states are given as the eigensolutions of the GCM purely vibrational Hamiltonian. In addition, the influence of the collective inertia on the fission properties is displayed, and it turns out to be the decisive condition for the possible transitions between different fission valleys.
We present first-principle predictions for the liquid-gas phase transition in symmetric nuclear matter employing both two- and three-nucleon chiral interactions. Our discussion focuses on the sources of systematic errors in microscopic quantum many body predictions. On the one hand, we test uncertainties of our results arising from changes in the construction of chiral Hamiltonians. We use five different chiral forces with consistently derived three-nucleon interactions. On the other hand, we compare the ladder resummation in the self-consistent Greens functions approach to finite temperature Brueckner--Hartree--Fock calculations. We find that systematics due to Hamiltonians dominate over many-body uncertainties. Based on this wide pool of calculations, we estimate that the critical temperature is $T_c=16 pm 2$ MeV, in reasonable agreement with experimental results. We also find that there is a strong correlation between the critical temperature and the saturation energy in microscopic many-body simulations.
It is well known that most actinides fission into fragments of unequal size. The first attempt to understand this difference suggested that division leading to one of the fragments being near doubly magic $^{132}$Sn is favored by gain in binding energy. After the Strutinsky shell-correction method was developed an alternative idea that gained popularity was that the fission saddle might be lower for mass-asymmetric shapes and that this asymmetry was preserved until scission. Recently it was observed [Phys. Rev. Lett. {bf 105} (2010) 252502] that $^{180}$Hg preferentially fissions asymmetrically in contradiction to the fragment-magic-shell expectation which suggested symmetric division peaked around $^{90}$Zr, with its magic neutron number $N=50$, so it was presented as a new type of asymmetric fission. However, in a paper [Phys. Lett. 34B (1971) 349] a simple microscopic mechanism behind the asymmetry of the actinide fission saddle points was proposed to be related the coupling between levels of type [40$LambdaOmega$] and [51$LambdaOmega$]. The paper then generalizes this idea and made the remarkable prediction that analogous features could exist in other regions. In particular it was proposed that in the rare-earth region couplings between levels of type [30$LambdaOmega$] and [41$LambdaOmega$] would favor mass-asymmetric outer saddle shapes. In this picture the asymmetry of $^{180}$Hg is not a new type of asymmetric fission but of analogous origin as the asymmetry of actinide fission. This prediction has never been cited in the discussion of the recently observed fission asymmetries in the new region of asymmetry, in nuclear physics also referred to as the rare-earth region. We show by detailed analysis that the mechanism of the saddle asymmetry in the sub-Pb region is indeed the one predicted half a century ago.