Induced Fission of $^{240}$Pu within a Real-Time Microscopic Framework

TL;DR

This paper models the fission process of Pu-240 using a real-time microscopic approach based on density functional theory, revealing complex dynamics and slower evolution than previously thought.

Contribution

It introduces a fully nonadiabatic, real-time microscopic framework that includes all collective degrees of freedom for simulating nuclear fission.

Findings

Fission fragments match experimental properties

Fission dynamics are more complex and slower than expected

Collective inertia plays a negligible role in the dynamics

Abstract

We describe the fissioning dynamics of Pu240 from a configuration in the proximity of the outer fission barrier to full scission and the formation of the fragments within an implementation of density functional theory extended to superfluid systems and real-time dynamics. The fission fragments emerge with properties similar to those determined experimentally, while the fission dynamics appears to be quite complex, with many excited shape and pairing modes. The evolution is found to be much slower than previously expected, and the ultimate role of the collective inertia is found to be negligible in this fully nonadiabatic treatment of nuclear dynamics, where all collective degrees of freedom (CDOF) are included (unlike adiabatic treatments with a small number of CDOF).