The fission process, for which a heavy nucleus splits into two – or three – fragments, is the nuclear phenomenon used in nuclear reactors. Nuclear fission data are therefore of great importance for the study and development of reactors. Whereas nuclei built with an odd number of protons and/or neutrons represent three-quarters of the nuclides chart, there is no microscopic, consistent, fully quantum mechanical model to describe their fission. We propose to develop such a model on the basis of the Time Dependent Generator Coordinate Method [1,2,3] for odd and odd-odd nuclei. The goal is the building of a microscopic and quantum mechanical framework to calculate the primary fission yields and the sharing of the energy available at scission for all type of fissioning nuclei, including those that are experimentally out of reach. The PhD student’s work will consist of developing formal and numerical tools aimed at generating fission potential energy surfaces and studying the nucleus dynamics on such surfaces. The PhD student will develop skills in theoretical nuclear physics, analytical derivations, numerical implementation, high performance computing and data analysis. There is the possibility of a 6-month pre-thesis internship in the host lab.

[1] D. Régnier et al, Phys. Rev. C 93, 054611 (2016)
[2] D. Régnier et al, Computer Physics Communications 225 (2018) 180–191
[3] L. M. Robledo et al 2019 J. Phys. G: Nucl. Part. Phys. 46 013001