Actinide collisions for QED and superheavy elements with the time-dependent Hartree-Fock theory and the Balian-V\'en\'eroni variational principle

Collisions of actinide nuclei form, during very short times of few zs ($10^{-21}$ s), the heaviest ensembles of interacting nucleons available on Earth. Such collisions are used to produce super-strong electric fields by the huge number of interacting protons to test spontaneous positron-electron pair emission (vacuum decay) predicted by the quantum electrodynamics (QED) theory. Multi-nucleon transfer in actinide collisions could also be used as an alternative way to fusion in order to produce neutron-rich heavy and superheavy elements thanks to inverse quasifission mechanisms. Actinide collisions are studied in a dynamical quantum microscopic approach. The three-dimensional time-dependent Hartree-Fock (TDHF) code {\textsc{tdhf3d}} is used with a full Skyrme energy density functional to investigate the time evolution of expectation values of one-body operators, such as fragment position and particle number. This code is also used to compute the dispersion of the particle numbers (e.g., widths of fragment mass and charge distributions) from TDHF transfer probabilities, on the one hand, and using the Balian-Veneroni variational principle, on the other hand. A first application to test QED is discussed. Collision times in $^{238}$U+$^{238}$U are computed to determine the optimum energy for the observation of the vacuum decay. It is shown that the initial orientation strongly affects the collision times and reaction mechanism. The highest collision times predicted by TDHF in this reaction are of the order of $\sim4$ zs at a center of mass energy of 1200 MeV. According to modern calculations based on the Dirac equation, the collision times at $E_{cm}>1$ GeV are sufficient to allow spontaneous electron-positron pair emission from QED vacuum decay, in case of bare uranium ion collision. A second application of actinide collisions to produce neutron-rich transfermiums is discussed. A new inverse quasifission mechanism associated to a specific orientation of the nuclei is proposed to produce transfermium nuclei ($Z>100$) in the collision of prolate deformed actinides such as $^{232}$Th+$^{250}$Cf. The collision of the tip of one nucleus with the side of the other results in a nucleon flux toward the latter. The probability distributions for transfermium production in such a collision are computed. The produced nuclei are more neutron-rich than those formed in fusion reactions, thus, leading to more stable isotopes closer to the predicted superheavy island of stability. In addition to mass and charge dispersion, the Balian-Veneroni variational principle is used to compute correlations between $Z$ and $N$ distributions, which are zero in standard TDHF calculations.Comment: Proceeding of the FUSION11 conferenc

The hierarchy of rogue wave solutions in nonlinear systems

Oceanic freak waves, optical spikes and extreme events in numerous contexts can arguably be modelled by modulationally unstable solutions within nonlinear systems. In particular, the fundamental nonlinear Schroedinger equation (NLSE) hosts a high-amplitude spatiotemporally localised solution on a plane-wave background, called the Peregrine breather, which is generally considered to be the base-case prototype of a rogue wave. Nonetheless, until very recently, little was known about what to expect when observing or engineering entire clusters of extreme events. Accordingly, this thesis aims to elucidate this matter by investigating complicated structures formed from collections of Peregrine breathers. Many novel NLSE solutions are discovered, all systematically classifiable by their geometry. The methodology employed here is based on the well-established concept of Darboux transformations, by which individual component solutions of an integrable system are nonlinearly superimposed to form a compound wavefunction. It is primarily implemented in a numerical manner within this study, operating on periodically modulating NLSE solutions called breathers. Rogue wave structures can only be extracted at the end of this process, when a limit of zero modulation frequency is applied to all components. Consequently, a requirement for breather asymmetry ensures that a multi-rogue wavefunction must be formed from a triangular number of individual Peregrine breathers (e.g. 1, 3, 6, 10, ...), whether fused or separated. Furthermore, the arrangements of these are restricted by a maximum phase-shift allowable along an evolution trajectory through the relevant wave field. Ultimately, all fundamental high-order rogue wave solutions can be constructed via polynomial relations between origin-translating component shifts and squared modulation frequency ratios. They are simultaneously categorisable by both these mathematical existence conditions and the corresponding visual symmetries, appearing spatiotemporally as triangular cascades, pentagrams, heptagrams, and so on. These parametric relations do not conflict with each other, meaning that any arbitrary NLSE rogue wave solution can be considered a hybridisation of this elementary set. Moreover, this hierarchy of structures is significantly general, with complicated arrangements persisting even on a cnoidal background

A new inverse quasifission mechanism to produce neutron-rich transfermium nuclei

Based on time-dependent Hartree-Fock theory, a new inverse quasifission mechanism is proposed to produce neutron-rich transfermium nuclei, in collision of prolate deformed actinides. Calculations show that collision of the tip of one nucleus with the side of the other results in a nucleon flux toward the latter. The role of nucleon evaporation and impact parameter, as well as the collision time are discussed.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figure

Circular rogue wave clusters

Using the Darboux transformation technique and numerical simulations, we study the hierarchy of rational solutions of the nonlinear Schrödinger equation that can be considered as higher order rogue waves in this model. This analysis reveals the existenc

Triangular rogue wave cascades

By numerically applying the recursive Darboux transformation technique, we study high-order rational solutions of the nonlinear Schrödinger equation that appear spatiotemporally as triangular arrays of Peregrine solitons. These can be considered as rogue wave cascades and complement previously discovered circular cluster forms. In this analysis, we reveal a general parametric restriction for their existence and investigate the interplay between cascade and cluster forms. As a result, we demonstrate how to generate many more hybrid rogue wave solutions, including semicircular clusters that resemble claws

Classifying the hierarchy of nonlinear-Schrödinger-equation rogue-wave solutions

We present a systematic classification for higher-order rogue-wave solutions of the nonlinear Schrödinger equation, constructed as the nonlinear superposition of first-order breathers via the recursive Darboux transformation scheme. This hierarchy is subdivided into structures that exhibit varying degrees of radial symmetry, all arising from independent degrees of freedom associated with physical translations of component breathers. We reveal the general rules required to produce these fundamental patterns. Consequently, we are able to extrapolate the general shape for rogue-wave solutions beyond order 6, at which point accuracy limitations due to current standards of numerical generation become non-negligible. Furthermore, we indicate how a large set of irregular rogue-wave solutions can be produced by hybridizing these fundamental structures

Second-order nonlinear Schrödinger equation breather solutions in the degenerate and rogue wave limits

We present an explicit analytic form for the two-breather solution of the nonlinear Schrödinger equation with imaginary eigenvalues. It describes various nonlinear combinations of Akhmediev breathers and Kuznetsov-Ma solitons. The degenerate case, when the two eigenvalues coincide, is quite involved. The standard inverse scattering technique does not generally provide an answer to this scenario. We show here that the solution can still be found as a special limit of the general second-order expression and appears as a mixture of polynomials with trigonometric and hyperbolic functions. A further restriction of this particular case, where the two eigenvalues are equal to i, produces the second-order rogue wave with two free parameters considered as differential shifts. The illustrations reveal a precarious dependence of wave profile on the degenerate eigenvalues and differential shifts. Thus we establish a hierarchy of second-order solutions, revealing the interrelated nature of the general case, the rogue wave, and the degenerate breathers

Soliton solutions of an integrable nonlinear Schrödinger equation with quintic terms

We present the fifth-order equation of the nonlinear Schrödinger hierarchy. This integrable partial differential equation contains fifth-order dispersion and nonlinear terms related to it. We present the Lax pair and use Darboux transformations to deriv

M + Ng Potential Energy Curves Including Spin-orbit Coupling for M = K, Rb, Cs and Ng = He, Ne, Ar

X2Σ+1/2 ⁠, A2Π1/2, A2Π3/2, and B2Σ+1/2 potential energy curves and associated dipole matrix elements are computed for M + Ng at the spin-orbit multi-reference configuration interaction level, where M = K, Rb, Cs and Ng = He, Ne, Ar. Dissociation energies and equilibrium positions for all minima are identified and corresponding vibrational energy levels are computed. Difference potentials are used together with the quasistatic approximation to estimate the position of satellite peaks of collisionally broadened D2 lines. The comparison of potential energy curves for different alkali atom and noble gas atom combinations is facilitated by using the same level of theory for all nine M + Ng pairs

Analytic Non-adiabatic Derivative Coupling Terms for Spin-orbit MRCI Wavefunctions. I. Formalism

Analytic gradients of electronic eigenvalues require one calculation per nuclear geometry, compared to at least 3n + 1 calculations for finite difference methods, where n is the number of nuclei. Analytic nonadiabatic derivative coupling terms (DCTs), which are calculated in a similar fashion, are used to remove nondiagonal contributions to the kinetic energy operator, leading to more accurate nuclear dynamics calculations than those that employ the Born-Oppenheimer approximation, i.e., that assume off-diagonal contributions are zero. The current methods and underpinnings for calculating both of these quantities, gradients and DCTs, for the State-Averaged MultiReference Configuration Interaction with Singles and Doubles (MRCI-SD) wavefunctions in COLUMBUS are reviewed. Before this work, these methods were not available for wavefunctions of a relativistic MRCI-SD Hamiltonian. Calculation of these terms is critical in successfully modeling the dynamics of systems that depend on transitions between potential energy surfaces split by the spin-orbit operator, such as diode-pumped alkali lasers. A formalism for calculating the transition density matrices and analytic derivative coupling terms for such systems is presented