Coupled-channels density-matrix approach to low-energy nuclear reaction dynamics

Atomic nuclei are complex, quantum many-body systems whose structure manifests itself through intrinsic quantum states associated with different excitation modes or degrees of freedom. Collective modes (vibration and/or rotation) dominate at low energy (near the ground-state). The associated states are usually employed, within a truncated model space, as a basis in (coherent) coupled channels approaches to low-energy reaction dynamics. However, excluded states can be essential, and their effects on the open (nuclear) system dynamics are usually treated through complex potentials. Is this a complete description of open system dynamics? Does it include effects of quantum decoherence? Can decoherence be manifested in reaction observables? In this contribution, I discuss these issues and the main ideas of a coupled-channels density-matrix approach that makes it possible to quantify the role and importance of quantum decoherence in low-energy nuclear reaction dynamics. Topical applications, which refer to understanding the astrophysically important collision $^{12}$C + $^{12}$C and achieving a unified quantum dynamical description of relevant reaction processes of weakly-bound nuclei, are highlighted.Comment: Invited Talk at FINUSTAR3, August 23-27, 2010, Rhodes, Greece. To be published in AIP Conference Proceeding

Dynamical collective potential energy landscape: its impact on the competition between fusion and quasi-fission in a heavy fusing system

A realistic microscopically-based quantum approach to the competition between fusion and quasi-fission in a heavy fusing system is applied to several reactions leading to $^{256}$No. Fusion and quasi-fission are described in terms of a diffusion process of nuclear shapes through a dynamical collective potential energy landscape which is initially diabatic and gradually becomes adiabatic. The microscopic ingredients of the theory are obtained with a realistic two-center shell model based on Woods-Saxon potentials. The results indicate that (i) the diabatic effects play a very important role in the onset of fusion hindrance for heavy systems, and (ii) very asymmetric reactions induced by closed shell nuclei seem to be the best suited to synthesize the heaviest compound nuclei.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, To be published in the AIP Proceedings of FUSION06, International Conference on Reaction Mechanisms and Nuclear Structure at the Coulomb barrier, March 19-23, 2006, San Servolo (Venice), Ital

PLATYPUS: a code for fusion and breakup in reactions induced by weakly-bound nuclei within a classical trajectory model with stochastic breakup

A self-contained Fortran-90 program based on a classical trajectory model with stochastic breakup is presented, which should be a powerful tool for quantifying complete and incomplete fusion, and breakup in reactions induced by weakly-bound two-body projectiles near the Coulomb barrier. The code calculates complete and incomplete fusion cross sections and their angular momentum distribution, as well as breakup observables (angle, kinetic energy and relative energy distributions).Comment: Accepted in Computer Physics Communications (2011

Modelling incomplete fusion dynamics of weakly-bound nuclei at near-barrier energies

The classical dynamical model for reactions induced by weakly-bound nuclei at near-barrier energies is developed further. It allows a quantitative study of the role and importance of incomplete fusion dynamics in asymptotic observables, such as the population of high-spin states in reaction products as well as the angular distribution of direct alpha-production. Model calculations indicate that incomplete fusion is an effective mechanism for populating high-spin states, and its contribution to the direct alpha production yield diminishes with decreasing energy towards the Coulomb barrier. It also becomes notably separated in angles from the contribution of no-capture breakup events. This should facilitate the experimental disentanglement of these competing reaction processes.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figures (for better resolution figures please contact the author), Accepted in Journal of Physics

Characterizing the astrophysical S-factor for 12^{12}C+12^{12}C with wave-packet dynamics

A quantitative study of the astrophysically important sub-barrier fusion of $^{12}$C+$^{12}$C is presented. Low-energy collisions are described in the body-fixed reference frame using wave-packet dynamics within a nuclear molecular picture. A collective Hamiltonian drives the time propagation of the wave-packet through the collective potential-energy landscape. The fusion imaginary potential for specific dinuclear configurations is crucial for understanding the appearance of resonances in the fusion cross section. The theoretical sub-barrier fusion cross sections explain some observed resonant structures in the astrophysical S-factor. These cross sections monotonically decline towards stellar energies. The structures in the data that are not explained are possibly due to cluster effects in the nuclear molecule, which are to be included in the present approach.Comment: Submitted to Physical Review C; 7 figure