Microscopic description of heavy ion collisions around the barrier

TL;DR

This paper employs time-dependent Hartree-Fock theory with Skyrme functional to model heavy ion collisions, accurately predicting fusion barriers and exploring phenomena like transfer, fusion hindrance, and ultra-strong electric fields in uranium collisions.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive microscopic mean-field analysis of heavy ion collisions, including new insights into collision times and electric field effects in superheavy systems.

Findings

Good agreement with experimental fusion barrier data

Overestimation of 16O+208Pb excitation function above barrier

Maximum collision times in 238U+238U at 1000-1300 MeV

Abstract

A microscopic mean-field description of heavy ion collisions is performed in the framework of the time dependent Hartree-Fock theory using a Skyrme energy density functional. A good agreement with experiments is obtained on the position of the fusion barriers for various total masses and mass asymmetries. The excitation function of the 16O+208Pb is overestimated by about 16% above the barrier. Transfer below the barrier is studied in 16O+208Pb central collisions. Heavier systems are considered to study their fusion hindrance. We also compute collision times of the 238U+238U system. The latter has been used to produce super strong electric fields and to test non perturbative quantum electrodynamics theory. Indeed, if the life time of such giant system is of the order of few 10^-21 s, its electric field should induce spontaneous electron-positron pair emissions from vacuum. In our calculations, highest collision times are reached in the 238U+238U reaction for center of mass energies between 1000 and 1300 MeV.