Fission dynamics of excited nuclei within the liquid-drop model

Abstract

We evaluate the temperature T_scis at the scission point and the saddle-to-scission time τ_scis for the fission of heated nuclei. We use classical Lagrange-like equations of motion within the liquid-drop model. The nuclear surface is parameterized by a two-parameter family of the Lawrence shapes. Conservative forces are defined through the free energy of the nucleus at finite temperatures. We use the friction tensor that is derived from the Navier-Stokes momentum-flux tensor and which takes into account the boundary conditions at the nuclear surface. The scission line is determined from the instability condition of the nuclear shape with respect to variations of the neck radius. A numerical solution to the dynamical equations is obtained for the ²³⁶U nucleus. The viscosity coefficient μ is deduced from a comparison of experimental data on the kinetic energy of fission fragments with the computed one. It is found that μ obtained by using our approach deviates significantly from μ of the standard hydrodynamic model.