Microscopic description of fission dynamics: Toward a 3D computation of the time dependent GCM equation

¹ CEA, DAM, DIF, 91297 Arpajon, France
² Nuclear and Chemical Science Division, LLNL, Livermore, CA 94551, USA

^a e-mail: david.regnier@cea.fr
^b e-mail: noel.dubray@cea.fr

Published online: 13 September 2017

Abstract

Accurate knowledge of fission fragment yields is an essential ingredient of numerous applications ranging from the formation of elements in the r-process to fuel cycle optimization in nuclear energy. The need for a predictive theory applicable where no data is available, together with the variety of potential applications, is an incentive to develop a fully microscopic approach to fission dynamics. One of the most promising theoretical frameworks is the time dependent generator coordinate method (TDGCM) applied under the Gaussian overlap approximation (GOA). However, the computational cost of this method makes it difficult to perform calculations with more than two collective degree of freedom. Meanwhile, it is well-known from both semi-phenomenological and fully microscopic approaches that at least four or five dimensions may play a role in the dynamics of fission. To overcome this limitation, we develop the code FELIX aiming to solve the TDGCM+GOA equation for an arbitrary number of collective variables. In this talk, we report the recent progress toward this enriched description of fission dynamics. We will briefly present the numerical methods adopted as well as the status of the latest version of FELIX. Finally, we will discuss fragments yields obtained within this approach for the low energy fission of major actinides.