# Solitonic excitations in collisions of superfluid nuclei: a qualitatively new phenomenon distinct from the Josephson effect

## TL;DR

This paper discusses a new type of solitonic excitation in superfluid nuclei collisions, which is distinct from the Josephson effect and impacts reaction outcomes, inspired by phenomena observed in ultracold atomic gases.

## Contribution

It introduces a novel solitonic excitation phenomenon in superfluid nuclear collisions, different from the Josephson effect, with implications for nuclear reaction dynamics.

## Key findings

- Identification of solitonic excitations in nuclear collisions
- Impact on kinetic energy and fusion cross sections
- Distinct from the Josephson effect

## Abstract

Recently, we have reported a novel role of pairing in low-energy heavy ion reactions at energies above the Coulomb barrier, which may have a detectable impact on reaction outcomes, such as the kinetic energy of fragments and the fusion cross section [arXiv:1611.10261, arXiv:1702.00069]. The phenomenon mimics the one studied experimentally with ultracold atomic gases, where two clouds of fermionic superfluids with different phases of the pairing fields are forced to merge, inducing various excitation modes of the pairing field. Although it originates from the phase difference of the pairing fields, the physics behind it is markedly different from the so-called Josephson effect. In this short contribution, we will briefly outline the results discussed in our recent papers and explain relations with the field of ultracold atomic gases.