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Large-scale models of nuclear structure are currently the only way to provide consistent datasets for the many properties of thousands of exotic nuclei that are required by nucleosynthesis simulations. In [W.Ryssens et al., Eur. Phys. J. A 58, 246 (2022)], we recently presented the new BSkG2 model based on an energy density functional of the Skyrme type. Relying on a flexible three-dimensional coordinate representation of the nucleus, the model takes into account both triaxial deformation and time-reversal symmetry breaking. BSkG2 achieves a state-of-the-art global description of nuclear ground state (g.s.) properties and reproduces in particular the known masses with a root-mean-square (rms) deviation of 678 keV. Moving beyond g.s. properties, the model also reproduces all empirical values for the primary and secondary barriers as well as isomer excitation energies of actinide nuclei with rms deviations below 500 keV, i.e. with unprecedented accuracy. Here we discuss in detail the extension of our framework to the calculation of the fission barriers of 45 actinide nuclei, including odd-mass and odd-odd systems. We focus in particular on the impact of symmetry breaking which is key to the accuracy of the model: we allow systematically for axial, reflection and time-reversal symmetry breaking. The effect of the latter on the fission properties of odd-mass and odd-odd nuclei is small, but we find that allowing for shapes with triaxial or octupole deformation, as well as shapes with both, is crucial to achieving this accuracy. The numerical accuracy of our coordinate space approach, the variety of nuclear configurations explored and the simultaneous successful description of fission properties and known masses makes BSkG2 the tool of choice for the large-scale study of nuclear structure., Version accepted for publication; 25 pages, 11 figures, 3 tables

The generation of angular momentum in fissioning nuclei has been a controversial topic. The predictions of different models disagree, particularly concerning the correlation between the fragments' angular momenta. In this letter, a time-dependent collective Hamiltonian model is constructed in the framework of the microscopic frozen Hartree-Fock approximation. The model presents a formalism to treat the generation of the angular momenta in the fission fragments due to the quantum uncertainty principle as well as the dynamics of the collective wave function during scission and the Coulomb reorientation phase. The model is able to describe a large part of the angular momentum found in experimental data. Some of the conclusions of the collective vibration model are supported by the quantum model but not all of the predictions are. Surprisingly, it is found that the angular momenta of the fragments are slightly correlated in a wriggling mode. In agreement with experimental data, the orientation of the angular momentum of each fragment is found to be mainly in the plane perpendicular to the fission axis. The magnitudes of the angular momenta are almost uncorrelated in agreement with the recent experimental data of Wilson et al., Nature (London) 590, 566 (2021). Additionally, the model shows that the octupole deformation significantly increases the angular momentum in the heavy fragment which was never expected in previous models., Comment: 6 pages 5 figures

We report here the current developments on the Brussels-Skyrme-on-a-Grid (BSkG) atomic mass models. In comparison with our previous models, BSkG3 improves the infinite nuclear matter (INM) properties which opens its applications to neutron stars. The results presented here show that BSkG3 preserve the excellent agreement with experimental nuclear masses and radii, together with fission barriers of actinides obtained by BSkG1 and BSkG2, while the nuclear matter properties are considerably improved., 3 pages, 2 figures

Nuclear fission of heavy (actinide) nuclei results predominantly in asymmetric mass-splits. Without quantum shells, which can give extra binding energy to these mass-asymmetric shapes, the nuclei would fission symmetrically. The strongest shell effects are in spherical nuclei, so naturally the spherical "doubly-magic" ${^{132}}$Sn nucleus (${Z=50}$ protons), was expected to play a major role. However, a systematic study of fission has shown that the heavy fragments are distributed around ${Z=52}$ to 56, indicating that ${^{132}}$Sn is not the only driver. Reconciling the strong spherical shell effects at ${Z=50}$ with the different ${Z}$ values of fission fragments observed in nature has been a longstanding puzzle. Here, we show that the final mass asymmetry of the fragments is also determined by the extra stability of octupole (pear-shaped) deformations which have been recently confirmed experimentally around $^{144}$Ba (${Z=56}$), one of very few nuclei with shell-stabilized octupole deformation. Using a modern quantum many-body model of superfluid fission dynamics, we found that heavy fission fragments are produced predominantly with ${52-56}$ protons, associated with significant octupole deformation acquired on the way to fission. These octupole shapes favouring asymmetric fission are induced by deformed shells at ${Z=52}$ and 56. In contrast, spherical "magic" nuclei are very resistant to octupole deformation, which hinders their production as fission fragments. These findings may explain surprising observations of asymmetric fission of lighter than lead nuclei., 15 pages, 11 figures

The transfer reaction between two nuclei in the superfluid phase is studied with the Time-dependent Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov (TDHFB) theory. In order to restore the symmetry of the relative gauge angle a set of independent TDHFB evolutions is done. Then the transfer probability is computed using a triple projection method. This method is first tested to determine the transfer probabilities on a toy model and compared to the exact solution. It is then applied to the reactions $^{20}$O+$^{20}$O and $^{14}$O+$^{20}$O in a realistic framework with a Gogny interaction., 6 figures, 6 pages

A numerical method to solve the TDHFB equations by using a hybrid basis of the two-dimensional harmonic oscillator eigenfunctions and one-dimensional Lagrange mesh with the Gogny effective interaction is applied to the head-on collisions of the superfluid nuclei ${}^{20}$O's. Taking the energies around the barrier top energy, the trajectories, pairing energies, and numbers of transferred nucleons are displayed. Their dependence on the relative gauge angle at the initial time is studied by taking typical sample points of the gauge angle. It turned out that the functional form of the flux of the neutrons across a section plane is proportional to the sine of the two times of the gauge angle., Comment: 11 pages, 18 figures

Theoretical description of nuclear fission remains one of the major challenges of quantum many-body dynamics. The slow, mostly adiabatic motion through the fission barrier is followed by a fast, non-adiabatic descent of the potential between the fragments. The latter stage is essentially unexplored. However, it is crucial as it generates most of the excitation energy in the fragments. The superfluid dynamics in the latter stage of fission is obtained with the time-dependent Hartree-Fock theory including BCS dynamical pairing correlations. The fission modes of the 258Fm nucleus are studied. The resulting fission fragment characteristics show a good agreement with experimental data. Quantum shell effects are shown to play a crucial role in the dynamics and formation of the fragments. The importance of quantum fluctuations beyond the independent particle/quasi-particle picture is underlined and qualitatively studied., Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures