Quantum entanglement in nuclear fission

Qiang, Yu; Pei, Junchen; Godbey, Kyle

doi:10.1016/j.physletb.2025.139248

Quantum entanglement in nuclear fission

Journal Article · Tue Jan 14 00:00:00 EST 2025 · Physics Letters. B

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physletb.2025.139248· OSTI ID:2522124

Qiang, Yu ^[1]; ^[2]; Godbey, Kyle ^[3]

Peking University, Beijing (China)
Peking University, Beijing (China); Chinese Academy of Sciences, Huizhou (China)
Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI (United States)

Nuclear fission presents a unique example of quantum entanglement in strongly interacting many-body systems. A heavy nucleus can split into hundreds of combinations of two complementary fragments in the fission process. The entanglement of fragment wave functions is persistent even after separation and impacts the partition of particles and energies between fragments. Based on microscopic dynamical calculations of the fission of ²⁴⁰Pu, this work finds that dynamical quantum entanglement is indispensable in the appearance of sawtooth distributions of average excitation energies of fragments and thus neutron multiplicities, but not in average neutron excess of fragments. Both sawtooth slopes from particle-number projections are found to be steep – a feature which can be alleviated by random fluctuations. The persistent entanglement is mainly due to non-adiabatic dynamics since the final splitting is so fast that the non-localization of wave functions is kept during the separation. These findings may impact the understanding of quantum entanglement more broadly in mesoscopic systems

View Journal Article

Research Organization:: Michigan State Univ., East Lansing, MI (United States); Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: National Key R&D Program of China; National Natural Science Foundation of China; USDOE; USDOE Office of Science (SC), Nuclear Physics (NP)

Grant/Contract Number:: SC0013365; SC0023175

Other Award/Contract Number:: 12475118
8200907308
12335007
2023YFE0101500
2023YFA1606403

OSTI ID:: 2522124

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 3015839
OSTI ID: 3029698

Journal Information:: Physics Letters. B, Journal Name: Physics Letters. B Vol. 861; ISSN 0370-2693

Publisher:: ElsevierCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

References (59)

Prompt γ-rays emitted in the thermal-neutron induced fission of 233U and 239Pu Pleasonton, Frances Nuclear Physics A, Vol. 213, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1016/0375-9474(73)90161-9	journal	October 1973
Towards a better parametrisation of Skyrme-like effective forces: A critical study of the SkM force Bartel, J.; Quentin, P.; Brack, M. Nuclear Physics A, Vol. 386, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1016/0375-9474(82)90403-1	journal	September 1982
Simultaneous investigation of fission fragments and neutrons in 252Cf (SF) Budtz-Jørgensen, C.; Knitter, H. -H. Nuclear Physics A, Vol. 490, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1016/0375-9474(88)90508-8	journal	December 1988
Comparative study of the fragments' mass and energy characteristics in the spontaneous fussion of 238Pu, 240Pu and 242Pu and in the thermal-neutron-induced fission of 239Pu Schillebeeckx, P.; Wagemans, C.; Deruytter, A. J. Nuclear Physics A, Vol. 545, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1016/0375-9474(92)90296-V	journal	August 1992
Particle number projection with effective forces Anguiano, M.; Egido, J. L.; Robledo, L. M. Nuclear Physics A, Vol. 696, Issue 3-4 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0375-9474(01)01219-2	journal	December 2001
Multiplicity and energy of neutrons from 235U(nth,f) fission fragments Nishio, K.; Nakagome, Y.; Yamamoto, H. Nuclear Physics A, Vol. 632, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0375-9474(98)00008-6	journal	March 1998
The TDHF code Sky3D Maruhn, J. A.; Reinhard, P. -G.; Stevenson, P. D. Computer Physics Communications, Vol. 185, Issue 7 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpc.2014.04.008	journal	July 2014
The TDHF code Sky3D version 1.1 Schuetrumpf, B.; Reinhard, P. -G.; Stevenson, P. D. Computer Physics Communications, Vol. 229 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpc.2018.03.012	journal	August 2018
ENDF/B-VII.1 Nuclear Data for Science and Technology: Cross Sections, Covariances, Fission Product Yields and Decay Data Chadwick, M. B.; Herman, M.; Obložinský, P. Nuclear Data Sheets, Vol. 112, Issue 12 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nds.2011.11.002	journal	December 2011
Event-by-event Modeling of Prompt Neutrons and Photons from Neutron-induced and Spontaneous Fission with FREYA Vogt, R.; Randrup, J. Nuclear Data Sheets, Vol. 118 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nds.2014.04.041	journal	April 2014
Monte Carlo Simulation of Prompt Fission Gamma Emission Regnier, D.; Litaize, O.; Serot, O. Physics Procedia, Vol. 31 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phpro.2012.04.009	journal	January 2012
Excitation energy partition in fission Albertsson, M.; Carlsson, B. G.; Døssing, T. Physics Letters B, Vol. 803 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physletb.2020.135276	journal	April 2020
Theory of nuclear fission Schunck, Nicolas; Regnier, David Progress in Particle and Nuclear Physics, Vol. 125 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ppnp.2022.103963	journal	July 2022
Impact of pear-shaped fission fragments on mass-asymmetric fission in actinides Scamps, Guillaume; Simenel, Cédric Nature, Vol. 564, Issue 7736 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-018-0780-0	journal	December 2018
Angular momentum generation in nuclear fission Wilson, J. N.; Thisse, D.; Lebois, M. Nature, Vol. 590, Issue 7847 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-03304-w	journal	February 2021
Measurement of Fragment Mass Dependent Kinetic Energy and Neutron Multiplicity for Thermal Neutron Induced Fission of Plutonium-239 Nishio, Katsuhisa; Nakagome, Yoshihiro; Kanno, Ikuo Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, Vol. 32, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1080/18811248.1995.9731725	journal	May 1995
Lower entropy bounds and particle number fluctuations in a Fermi sea Klich, Israel Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and General, Vol. 39, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1088/0305-4470/39/4/L02	journal	January 2006
Center-of-mass motion and cross-channel coupling in the time-dependent Hartree–Fock theory Umar, A. S.; Oberacker, V. E. Journal of Physics G: Nuclear and Particle Physics, Vol. 36, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1088/0954-3899/36/2/025101	journal	November 2008
Future of nuclear fission theory Bender, Michael; Bernard, Rémi; Bertsch, George Journal of Physics G: Nuclear and Particle Physics, Vol. 47, Issue 11 https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6471/abab4f	journal	October 2020
Symmetry restoration in mean-field approaches Sheikh, J. A.; Dobaczewski, J.; Ring, P. Journal of Physics G: Nuclear and Particle Physics, Vol. 48, Issue 12 https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6471/ac288a	journal	November 2021
Unitary evolution with fluctuations and dissipation Bulgac, Aurel; Jin, Shi; Stetcu, Ionel Physical Review C, Vol. 100, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.100.014615	journal	July 2019
Number of particles in fission fragments Verriere, Marc; Schunck, Nicolas; Kawano, Toshihiko Physical Review C, Vol. 100, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.100.024612	journal	August 2019
Projection of good quantum numbers for reaction fragments Bulgac, Aurel Physical Review C, Vol. 100, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.100.034612	journal	September 2019
Fission dynamics of Pu 240 from saddle to scission and beyond Bulgac, Aurel; Jin, Shi; Roche, Kenneth J. Physical Review C, Vol. 100, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.100.034615	journal	September 2019
Microscopic predictions for the production of neutron-rich nuclei in the reaction Yb 176 + Yb 176 Godbey, K.; Simenel, C.; Umar, A. S. Physical Review C, Vol. 101, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.101.034602	journal	March 2020
Fission-fragment excitation energy sharing beyond scission Bulgac, Aurel Physical Review C, Vol. 102, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.102.044609	journal	October 2020
Microscopic calculation of fission product yields with particle-number projection Verriere, Marc; Schunck, Nicolas; Regnier, David Physical Review C, Vol. 103, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.103.054602	journal	May 2021
Fission dynamics of compound nuclei: Pairing versus fluctuations Qiang, Yu; Pei, J. C.; Stevenson, P. D. Physical Review C, Vol. 103, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.103.L031304	journal	March 2021
Energy and pairing dependence of dissipation in real-time fission dynamics Qiang, Yu; Pei, J. C. Physical Review C, Vol. 104, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.104.054604	journal	November 2021
Time-dependent generator coordinate method study of fission: Dissipation effects Zhao, Jie; Nikšić, Tamara; Vretenar, Dario Physical Review C, Vol. 105, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.105.054604	journal	May 2022
Microscopic calculation of nuclear dissipation Koonin, S. E.; Nix, J. R. Physical Review C, Vol. 13, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.13.209	journal	January 1976
Dynamics of induced fission Negele, J. W.; Koonin, S. E.; Möller, P. Physical Review C, Vol. 17, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.17.1098	journal	March 1978
Dynamical deformation effects in subbarrier fusion of Ni 64 + Sn 132 Umar, A. S.; Oberacker, V. E. Physical Review C, Vol. 74, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.74.061601	journal	December 2006
Canonical-basis time-dependent Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov theory and linear-response calculations Ebata, Shuichiro; Nakatsukasa, Takashi; Inakura, Tsunenori Physical Review C, Vol. 82, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.82.034306	journal	September 2010
Nuclear energy density optimization: Large deformations Kortelainen, M.; McDonnell, J.; Nazarewicz, W. Physical Review C, Vol. 85, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.85.024304	journal	February 2012
Pairing dynamics in particle transport Scamps, Guillaume; Lacroix, Denis; Bertsch, G. F. Physical Review C, Vol. 85, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.85.034328	journal	March 2012
Monte Carlo Hauser-Feshbach predictions of prompt fission γ rays: Application to n th + 235 U, n th + 239 Pu, and 252 Cf (sf) Becker, B.; Talou, P.; Kawano, T. Physical Review C, Vol. 87, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.87.014617	journal	January 2013
Fission process of nuclei at low excitation energies with a Langevin approach Aritomo, Y.; Chiba, S. Physical Review C, Vol. 88, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.88.044614	journal	October 2013
Formation and dynamics of fission fragments Simenel, C.; Umar, A. S. Physical Review C, Vol. 89, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.89.031601	journal	March 2014
Particle-number projection method in time-dependent Hartree-Fock theory: Properties of reaction products Sekizawa, Kazuyuki; Yabana, Kazuhiro Physical Review C, Vol. 90, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.90.064614	journal	December 2014
Superfluid dynamics of Fm 258 fission Scamps, Guillaume; Simenel, Cédric; Lacroix, Denis Physical Review C, Vol. 92, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.92.011602	journal	July 2015
Characterization of the scission point from fission-fragment velocities Caamaño, M.; Farget, F.; Delaune, O. Physical Review C, Vol. 92, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.92.034606	journal	September 2015
Fission dynamics within time-dependent Hartree-Fock: Deformation-induced fission Goddard, Philip; Stevenson, Paul; Rios, Arnau Physical Review C, Vol. 92, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.92.054610	journal	November 2015
Fission fragment charge and mass distributions in Pu 239 ( n , f ) in the adiabatic nuclear energy density functional theory Regnier, D.; Dubray, N.; Schunck, N. Physical Review C, Vol. 93, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.93.054611	journal	May 2016
Insight into excitation energy and structure effects in fission from isotopic information in fission yields Ramos, D.; Caamaño, M.; Farget, F. Physical Review C, Vol. 99, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.99.024615	journal	February 2019
Study of fission dynamics with a three-dimensional Langevin approach Liu, Li-Le; Wu, Xi-Zhen; Chen, Yong-Jing Physical Review C, Vol. 99, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.99.044614	journal	April 2019
Induced Fission of Pu 240 within a Real-Time Microscopic Framework Bulgac, Aurel; Magierski, Piotr; Roche, Kenneth J. Physical Review Letters, Vol. 116, Issue 12 https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.116.122504	journal	March 2016
Microscopic Phase-Space Exploration Modeling of Fm 258 Spontaneous Fission Tanimura, Yusuke; Lacroix, Denis; Ayik, Sakir Physical Review Letters, Vol. 118, Issue 15 https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.118.152501	journal	April 2017
Anomalies in the Charge Yields of Fission Fragments from the U ( n , f ) 238 Reaction Wilson, J. N.; Lebois, M.; Qi, L. Physical Review Letters, Vol. 118, Issue 22 https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.118.222501	journal	June 2017
Timescales of Quantum Equilibration, Dissipation and Fluctuation in Nuclear Collisions Simenel, C.; Godbey, K.; Umar, A. S. Physical Review Letters, Vol. 124, Issue 21 https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.124.212504	journal	May 2020
Fission Fragment Intrinsic Spins and Their Correlations Bulgac, Aurel; Abdurrahman, Ibrahim; Jin, Shi Physical Review Letters, Vol. 126, Issue 14 https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.126.142502	journal	April 2021
Generation of Fragment Angular Momentum in Fission Randrup, Jørgen; Vogt, Ramona Physical Review Letters, Vol. 127, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.127.062502	journal	August 2021
Angular Momentum Removal by Neutron and γ -Ray Emissions during Fission Fragment Decays Stetcu, I.; Lovell, A. E.; Talou, P. Physical Review Letters, Vol. 127, Issue 22 https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.127.222502	journal	November 2021
Entanglement in many-body systems Amico, Luigi; Fazio, Rosario; Osterloh, Andreas Reviews of Modern Physics, Vol. 80, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1103/RevModPhys.80.517	journal	May 2008
Time-dependent density-functional description of nuclear dynamics Nakatsukasa, Takashi; Matsuyanagi, Kenichi; Matsuo, Masayuki Reviews of Modern Physics, Vol. 88, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1103/RevModPhys.88.045004	journal	November 2016
Nuclear ground-state properties from mean-field calculations Dobaczewski, J.; Nazarewicz, W.; Stoitsov, M. V. The European Physical Journal A, Vol. 15, Issue 1-2 https://doi.org/10.1140/epja/i2001-10218-8	journal	September 2002
Stochastic quantum dynamics beyond mean field Lacroix, Denis; Ayik, Sakir The European Physical Journal A, Vol. 50, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1140/epja/i2014-14095-8	journal	June 2014
Investigation on the Primary Spins of the 235U Fission Fragments Armbruster, P.; Labus, H.; Reichelt, K. Zeitschrift für Naturforschung A, Vol. 26, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1515/zna-1971-0320	journal	March 1971
Shape Evolutions in Fission Dynamics Within Time-Dependent Hartree-Fock Approach Pancic, Marko; Qiang, Yu; Pei, Junchen Frontiers in Physics, Vol. 8 https://doi.org/10.3389/fphy.2020.00351	journal	September 2020

Similar Records

Dissipative entanglement of quantum spin fluctuations

Journal Article · Wed Jun 15 00:00:00 EDT 2016 · Journal of Mathematical Physics · OSTI ID:22596850

Related Subjects

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS
Nuclear fission
fission dynamics
quantum entanglement
sawtooth

Quantum entanglement in nuclear fission

Citation Formats

References (59)

Similar Records

Related Subjects