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We present BSkG3, the latest entry in the Brussels-Skyrme-on-a-grid series of large-scale models of nuclear structure based on an energy density functional. Compared to its predecessors, the new model offers a more realistic description of nucleonic matter at the extreme densities relevant to neutron stars. This achievement is made possible by incorporating a constraint on the infinite nuclear matter properties at high densities in the parameter adjustment, ensuring in this way that the predictions of BSkG3 for the nuclear Equation of State are compatible with the observational evidence for heavy pulsars with M > 2 M ⊙ . Instead of the usual phenomenological pairing terms, we also employ a more microscopically founded treatment of nucleon pairing, resulting in extrapolations to high densities that are in line with the predictions of advanced many-body methods and are hence more suited to the study of superfluidity in neutron stars. By adopting an extended form of the Skyrme functional, we are able to reconcile the description of matter at high densities and at saturation density: the new model further refines the description of atomic nuclei offered by its predecessors. A qualitative improvement is our inclusion of ground state reflection asymmetry, in addition to the spontaneous breaking of rotational, axial, and time-reversal symmetry. Quantitatively, the model offers lowered root-mean-square deviations on 2457 masses (0.631 MeV), 810 charge radii (0.0237 fm) and an unmatched accuracy with respect to 45 primary fission barriers of actinide nuclei (0.33 MeV). Reconciling the complexity of neutron stars with those of atomic nuclei establishes BSkG3 as a tool of choice for applications to nuclear structure, the nuclear equation of state and nuclear astrophysics in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Models based on nuclear energy density functionals can provide access to a multitude of observables for thousands of nuclei in a single framework with microscopic foundations. Such models can rival the accuracy of more phenomenological approaches, but doing so requires adjusting parameters to thousands of nuclear masses. To keep such large-scale fits feasible, several symmetry restrictions are typically imposed on the nuclear configurations. One such example is time-reversal invariance, which is generally enforced via the Equal Filling Approximation (EFA). Here we lift this assumption, enabling us to access the spin and current densities in the ground states of odd-mass and odd-odd nuclei, which contribute to the total energy of such nuclei through so-called 'time-odd' terms. We present here the Skyrme-based BSkG2 model whose parameters were adjusted to essentially all known nuclear masses without relying on the EFA, refining our earlier work [G. Scamps et al., EPJA 57, 333 (2021)]. Moving beyond ground state properties, we also incorporated information on the fission barriers of actinide nuclei in the parameter adjustment. The resulting model achieves a root-mean-square (rms) deviation of (i) 0.678 MeV on 2457 known masses, (ii) 0.027 fm on 884 measured charge radii, (iii) 0.44 MeV and 0.47 MeV, respectively, on 45 reference values for primary and secondary fission barriers of actinide nuclei, and (iv) 0.49 MeV on 28 fission isomer excitation energies. We limit ourselves here to a description of the model and the study the impact of lifting the EFA on ground state properties such as binding energies, deformation and pairing, deferring a detailed discussion of fission to a forthcoming paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The modelling of nuclear reactions and radioactive decays in astrophysical or earth-based conditions requires detailed knowledge of the masses of essentially all nuclei. Microscopic mass models based on nuclear energy density functionals (EDFs) can be descriptive and used to provide this information. The concept of intrinsic symmetry breaking is central to the predictive power of EDF approaches, yet is generally not exploited to the utmost by mass models because of the computational demands of adjusting up to about two dozen parameters to thousands of nuclear masses. We report on a first step to bridge the gap between what is presently feasible for studies of individual nuclei and large-scale models: we present a new Skyrme-EDF-based model that was adjusted using a three-dimensional coordinate-space representation, for the first time allowing for both axial and triaxial deformations during the adjustment process. To compensate for the substantial increase in computational cost brought by the latter, we have employed a committee of multilayer neural networks to model the objective function in parameter space and guide us towards the overall best fit. The resulting mass model BSkG1 is computed with the EDF model independently of the neural network. It yields a root mean square (rms) deviation on the 2457 known masses of 741 keV and an rms deviation on the 884 measured charge radii of 0.024 fm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nuclear fission of heavy (actinide) nuclei results predominantly in asymmetric mass splits1. Without quantum shell effects, which can give extra binding energy to their mass-asymmetric shapes, these nuclei would fission symmetrically. The strongest shell effects appear in spherical nuclei, such as the spherical 'doubly magic' (that is, both its atomic and neutron numbers are 'magic' numbers) nucleus 132Sn, which contains 50 protons and 82 neutrons. However, a systematic study of fission2 has shown that heavy fission fragments have atomic numbers distributed around Z = 52 to Z = 56, indicating that the strong shell effects in 132Sn are not the only factor affecting actinide fission. Reconciling the strong spherical shell effects at Z = 50 with the different Z values of fission fragments observed in nature has been a longstanding puzzle3. Here we show that the final mass asymmetry of the fragments is also determined by the extra stability provided by octupole (pear-shaped) deformations, which have been recently confirmed experimentally around 144Ba (Z = 56)4,5, one of very few nuclei with shell-stabilized octupole deformation6. Using a quantum many-body model of superfluid fission dynamics7, we find that heavy fission fragments are produced predominantly with 52 to 56 protons, which is associated with substantial octupole deformation acquired on the way to fission. These octupole shapes, which favour asymmetric fission, are induced by deformed shells at Z = 52 and Z = 56. By 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 in nuclei lighter than lead8. Quantum many-body calculations of superfluid fission dynamics reveal that heavy fragments from asymmetric fission of actinides are associated with considerable octupole (pear-shaped) deformation acquired on the way to fission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]