Microscopic Theory of Nuclear Fission

Nuclear fission represents the ultimate test for microscopic theories of nuclear structure and reactions. Fission is a large-amplitude, time-dependent phenomenon taking place in a self-bound, strongly-interacting many-body system. It should, at least in principle, emerge from the complex interactions of nucleons within the nucleus. The goal of microscopic theories is to build a consistent and predictive theory of nuclear fission by using as only ingredients protons and neutrons, nuclear forces and quantum many-body methods. Thanks to a constant increase in computing power, such a goal has never seemed more within reach. This chapter gives an overview both of the set of techniques used in microscopic theory to describe the fission process and of some recent successes achieved by this class of methods.
Comment: 37 pages, 8 figures; chapter for the upcoming Handbook in Nuclear Physics edited by I. Tanihata, H. Toki and T. Kajino