Single particle calculations for a Woods-Saxon potential with triaxial deformations, and large Cartesian oscillator basis

We present a computer program which solves the Schrodinger equation of the stationary states for an average nuclear potential of Woods-Saxon type. In this work, we take specifically into account triaxial (i.e. ellipsoidal) nuclear surfaces. The deformation is specified by the usual Bohr parameters. The calculations are carried out in two stages. In the first, one calculates the representative matrix of the Hamiltonian in the cartesian oscillator basis. In the second stage one diagonalizes this matrix with the help of subroutines of the EISPACK library. If it is wished, one can calculate all eigenvalues, or only the part of the eigenvalues that are contained in a fixed interval defined in advance. In this latter case the eigenvectors are given conjointly. The program is very rapid, and the run-time is mainly used for the diagonalization. Thus, it is possible to use a significant number of the basis states in order to insure a best convergence of the results.Comment: no figures, but tbles in separate pdf file

A microscopic approach to the coupling of collective and individual degrees of freedom to describe low energy excitations of odd-even nuclei

A theoretical and computational framework to couple in a self-consistent microscopic fashion collective and individual degrees of freedom has been set up. Its relevance has been illustrated by successfully comparing experimental 111Cd spectroscopic data with the results of the coupling of 110Cd collective wavefunctions with one-quasiparticle states where both the collective and quasiparticle inputs have been derived from the Skyrme SIII effective interaction

Triaxial quadrupole dynamics and the inner fission barrier of some heavy even-even nuclei

Background: Inner fission barriers of actinide nuclei have been known for a long time to be unstable with respect to the axial symmetry. On the other hand, taking into account the effect of the relevant adiabatic mass parameter reduces or even may wash out this instability. A proper treatment of the dynamics for both axial and triaxial modes is thus crucial to accurately determine the corresponding fission barriers. This entails in particular an accurate description of pairing correlations. Purpose: We evaluate the potential energies, moments of inertia, and vibrational mass parameters in a two-dimensional relevant deformation space (corresponding to the usual β and γ quadrupole deformation parameters) for four actinide nuclei (U236, Pu240, Cm248, and Cf252). We assess the relevance of our approach to describe the dynamics for a triaxial mode by computing the low energy spectra (exploring thus mainly the equilibrium deformation region). We evaluate the inner fission barrier heights releasing the axial symmetry constraint. Method: Calculations within the Hartree-Fock plus BCS approach are performed using the SkM* Skyrme effective interaction in the particle-hole channel and a seniority force in the particle-particle channel. The intensity of this residual interaction has been fixed to allow a good reproduction of some odd-even mass differences in the actinide region. Adiabatic mass parameters for the rotational and vibrational modes are calculated using the Inglis-Belyaev formula supplemented by a global renormalization factor taking into account the so-called Thouless-Valatin corrections. Spectra are obtained through the diagonalization of the corresponding Bohr collective Hamiltonian. Results: The experimental low energy spectra are qualitatively well reproduced by our calculations for the considered nuclei. Inner fission barrier heights are calculated and compared with available estimates from various experimental data. The reproduction of the data is better for U236 and Pu240 (up to about 300 keV) than for Cm248 and Cf252 (up to about one MeV). Conclusions: While these results are encouraging, they call for, in particular, a better treatment of pairing correlations, especially as far as the particle number conservation is concerned. Besides, these results could provide a basis for the determination of the least action trajectories which would generate better grounds for the evaluation of fission half lives