Conditional saddle-point configurations

Journal Article · Fri Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1985 · Phys. Rev. C; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.31.915· OSTI ID:6128193

Thomas, K; Davies, R; Sierk, A J

A general method is presented for determining an equilibrium point on a potential energy surface subject to an arbitrary number of constraints. The method is then specialized to the calculation of a conditional saddle point in the liquid-drop model for which the constraint is the mass-asymmetry degree of freedom. This approach is useful for cases in which the mass asymmetry is not one of the chosen coordinates but instead is a function of these coordinates. Conditional saddle points are calculated for the liquid-drop and Yukawa-plus-exponential nuclear energy models, with the nuclear shape parametrized using both a three-quadratic-surface model and a Legendre polynomial expansion of the nuclear surface function. We show how the conditional saddle-point shapes and energies change as the fissility x and the mass asymmetry value ..cap alpha.. are varied. As ..cap alpha.. increases for fixed x, the saddle-point configurations effectively behave like lighter (less fissile) nuclei. For fissilities less than the Businaro-Gallone value (x/sub BG/), the conditional saddle-point energy always decreases with increasing ..cap alpha... For x>x/sub BG/, with increasing ..cap alpha.. the conditional saddle-point energy increases until it reaches the limit of the Businaro-Gallone peak, after which the energy decreases.

• Research Organization: Physics Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831
• OSTI ID: 6128193
• Journal Information: Phys. Rev. C; (United States), Journal Name: Phys. Rev. C; (United States) Vol. 31:3; ISSN PRVCA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

653003* -- Nuclear Theory-- Nuclear Reactions & Scattering
653006 -- Nuclear Theory-- Spontaneous & Induced Fission
653007 -- Nuclear Theory-- Nuclear Models-- (-1987)
73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS
ASYMMETRY
COMPOUND-NUCLEUS REACTIONS
DEEP INELASTIC SCATTERING
ENERGY
FISSION
FUNCTIONS
FUSION REACTIONS
INELASTIC SCATTERING
INTERACTIONS
LEGENDRE POLYNOMIALS
LEPTON-BARYON INTERACTIONS
LEPTON-HADRON INTERACTIONS
LEPTON-NUCLEON INTERACTIONS
LIQUID DROP MODEL
MASS SPECTRA
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
NUCLEAR MODELS
NUCLEAR POTENTIAL
NUCLEAR REACTIONS
PARTICLE INTERACTIONS
POLYNOMIALS
POTENTIAL ENERGY
POTENTIALS
SADDLE-POINT METHOD
SCATTERING
SPECTRA
VARIATIONAL METHODS
YUKAWA POTENTIAL