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Akira Iwamoto

Publications and source records attributed to Akira Iwamoto.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

The contrasting fission potential-energy structure of actinides and mercury isotopes

Fission-fragment mass distributions are asymmetric in fission of typical actinide nuclei for nucleon number $A$ in the range $228 \lnsim A \lnsim 258$ and proton number $Z$ in the range $90\lnsim Z \lnsim 100$. For somewhat lighter systems it has been observed that fission mass distributions are usually symmetric. However, a recent experiment showed that fission of $^{180}$Hg following electron capture on $^{180}$Tl is asymmetric. We calculate potential-energy surfaces for a typical actinide nucleus and for 12 even isotopes in the range $^{178}$Hg--$^{200}$Hg, to investigate the similarities and differences of actinide compared to mercury potential surfaces and to what extent fission-fragment properties, in particular shell structure, relate to the structure of the static potential-energy surfaces. Potential-energy surfaces are calculated in the macroscopic-microscopic approach as functions of fiveshape coordinates for more than five million shapes. The structure of the surfaces are investigated by use of an immersion technique. We determine properties of minima, saddle points, valleys, and ridges between valleys in the 5D shape-coordinate space. Along the mercury isotope chain the barrier heights and the ridge heights and persistence with elongation vary significantly and show no obvious connection to possible fragment shell structure, in contrast to the actinide region, where there is a deep asymmetric valley extending from the saddle point to scission. The mechanism of asymmetric fission must be very different in the lighter proton-rich mercury isotopes compared to the actinide region and is apparently unrelated to fragment shell structure. Isotopes lighter than $^{192}$Hg have the saddle point blocked from a deep symmetric valley by a significant ridge. The ridge vanishes for the heavier Hg isotopes, for which we would expect a qualitatively different asymmetry of the fragments.

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Calculations of Branching Ratios for Radiative-Capture, One-Proton, and Two-Neutron Channels in the Fusion Reaction $^{209}$Bi+$^{70}$Zn

We discuss the possibility of the non-one-neutron emission channels in the cold fusion reaction $^{70}$Zn + $^{209}$Bi to produce the element Z=113. For this purpose, we calculate the evaporation-residue cross sections of one-proton, radiative-capture, and two-neutron emissions relative to the one-neutron emission in the reaction $^{70}$Zn + $^{209}$Bi. To estimate the upper bounds of those quantities, we vary model parameters in the calculations, such as the level-density parameter and the height of the fission barrier. We conclude that the highest possibility is for the 2n reaction channel, and its upper bounds are 2.4$%$ and at most less than 7.9% with unrealistic parameter values, under the actual experimental conditions of [J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. {\bf 73} (2004) 2593].

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Signature of smooth transition from diabatic to adiabatic states in heavy-ion fusion reactions at deep subbarrier energies

We propose a novel extension of the standard coupled-channels framework for heavy-ion reactions in order to analyze fusion reactions at deep subbarrier incident energies. This extension simulates a smooth transition between the diabatic two-body and the adiabatic one-body states. To this end, we damp gradually the off-diagonal part of the coupling potential, for which the position of the onset of the damping varies for each eigen channel. We show that this model accounts well for the steep falloff of the fusion cross sections for the $^{16}$O+$^{208}$Pb, $^{64}$Ni+$^{64}$Ni, and $^{58}$Ni+$^{58}$Ni reactions.

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Origin of the narrow, single peak in the fission-fragment mass distribution for $^{258}$Fm

We discuss the origin of the narrowness of the single peak at mass-symmetric division in the fragment mass-yield curve for spontaneous fission of $^{258}$Fm. For this purpose, we employ the macroscopic-microscopic model, and calculate a potential-energy curve at the mass-symmetric compact scission configuration, as a function of the fragment mass number, which is obtained from the single-particle wave-function densities. In the calculations, we minimize total energies by varying the deformations of the two fragments, with constraints on the mass quadrupole moment and keeping the neck radius zero, as a function of mass asymmetry. Using the obtained potential, we solve the one-dimensional Schrödinger equation with a microscopic coordinate-dependent inertial mass to calculate the fragment mass-yield curve. The calculated mass yield, expressed in terms of the microscopic mass density, is consistent with the extremely narrow experimental mass distribution.

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Existence of One-Body Barrier Revealed in Deep Sub-Barrier Fusion

Based on the adiabatic picture for heavy-ion reactions, in which the neck formation in the one-body system is taken into account, we propose a two-step model for fusion cross sections at deep subbarrier energies. This model consists of the capture process in the two-body potential pocket, which is followed by the penetration of the adiabatic one-body potential to reach a compound state after the touching configuration. We describe the former process with the coupled-channels framework, while the latter with the WKB approximation by taking into account the coordinate dependent inertia mass. The effect of the one-body barrier is important at incident energies below the potential energy at the touching configuration. We show that this model well accounts for the steep fall-off phenomenon of fusion cross sections at deep subbarrier energies for the $^{64}$Ni+$^{64}$Ni and $^{58}$Ni+$^{58}$Ni reactions.

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Systematics of threshold incident energy for deep sub-barrier fusion hindrance

We systematically evaluate the potential energy at the touching configuration for heavy-ion reactions using various potential models. We point out that the energy at the touching point, especially that estimated with the Krappe-Nix-Sierk (KNS) potential, strongly correlates with the threshold incident energy for steep fall-off of fusion cross sections observed recently for several systems at extremely low energies. This clearly indicates that the steep fall-off phenomenon can be attributed to the dynamics after the target and projectile touch with each other, e.g., the tunneling process and the nuclear saturation property in the overlap region.

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How strongly does dating meteorites constrain the time-dependence of the fine-structure constant?

We review our argument on the nature of the so-called meteorite constraint on the possible time-dependence of the fine-structure constant, emphasizing that dating meteorites at the present time is different in principle from searching directly for the traces in the past, as in the Oklo phenomenon and the QSO absorption lines. In the related literature, we still find some arguments not necessarily consistent with this difference to be taken properly into account. It does not immediately follow that any model-dependent approaches are useless in practice, though we cannot help suspecting that dating meteorites is no match for the Oklo and the QSO in probing the time-variability of the fine-structure constant, at this moment. Some of the relevance to the QSO data particularly in terms of the scalar field will be discussed.

hep-ph

A study on a self-organized criticality in a dynamical many-body system

A novel mechanism for the generation of self-organized criticality (SOC) is discussed in terms of the coupled-vibration model where the total system is forced under the uniform expansion of the Hubble type. This system shows a robust SOC behavior while the maximum size of the fluctuation, number of correlated particles in it and the temporal size of the system evolve as a function of time.

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Five-Dimensional Fission-Barrier Calulations from Se-70 to Cf-252

We present fission-barrier-height calculations for nuclei throught the Periodic Table based on a realistic macroscopic-microscopic model. Compared to other calculations: (1) we use a deformation space of sufficiently high dimension, sampled densely enough to describe the relevant topography of the fission potential, (2) we unambiguously find the physically relevant saddle points in this space, and (3) we formulate our model so that we obtain continuity of the potential energy at the division point between a single system and separated fission fragments or colliding nuclei, allowing us to (4) describe both fission-barrier heights and ground-state masses throughout the Periodic Table.

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An observation of a nascent fractal pattern in MD simulation for a fragmentation of an fcc lattice

To seek for a possible origin of fractal pattern in nature, we perform a molecular dynamics simulation for a fragmentation of an infinite fcc lattice. The fragmentation is induced by the initial condition of the model that the lattice particles have the Hubble-type radial expansion velocities. As time proceeds, the average density decreases and density fluctuation develops. By using the box counting method, it is found that the frequency-size plot of the density follows instantaneously a universal power-law for each Hubble constant up to the size of a cross-over. This cross-over size corresponds to the maximum size of fluctuation and is found to obey a dynamical scaling law as a function of time. This instantaneous generation of a nascent fractal is purely of dynamical origin and it shows us a new formation mechanism of a fractal patterns different from the traditional criticality concept.

nlin.AO

Re/Os constraint on the time-variability of the fine-structure constant

We argue that the accuracy by which the isochron parameters of the decay $^{187}{\rm Re}\to ^{187}{\rm Os}$ are determined by dating iron meteorites may not directly constrain the possible time-dependence of the decay rate and hence of the fine-structure constant $α$. From this point of view, some of the attempts to analyze the Oklo constraint and the results of the QSO absorption lines are re-examined.

hep-ph

Study of the neutron star structure in strong magnetic fields including the anomalous magnetic moments

We study the effects of strong magnetic fields on the neutron star structure. If the interior field of a star is on the same order of the surface field currently observed, the influences of the magnetic field on the star mass and radius are negligible. If one assumes that the internal magnetic field can be as large as that estimated from the scalar virial theorem, considerable effects can be induced. The maximum mass of stars is arisen substantially while the central density is largely suppressed. For two equal-mass stars the radius of the magnetic star can be larger by about 10% $\sim$ 20% than the nonmagnetic star.

astro-ph

Nuclear Data in Oklo and Time-Variability of Fundamental Coupling Constants

We re-examined Shlyakhter's analysis of the Sm data in Oklo. With a special care of minimizing contamination due to the inflow of the isotope after the end of the reactor activity, we confirmed that his result on the time-variability of the fine-structure constant, $|\dotα/α|\lsim 10^{-17}{\rm y}^{-1}$, was basically correct. In addition to this upper bound, however, we obtained another result that indicates a different value of $α$ 2 billion years ago. We add comments on the recent result from QSO's.

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The nuclear interaction at Oklo 2 billion years ago

We re-examine the effort to constrain the time-variability of the coupling constants of the fundamental interactions by studying the anomalous isotopic abundance of Sm observed at the remnants of the natural reactors which were in operation at Oklo about 2 billion years ago, in terms of a possible deviation of the resonance energy from the value observed today. We rely on new samples that were carefully collected to minimize natural contamination and also on a careful temperature estimate of the reactors. We obtain the upper bound $(-0.2\pm 0.8)\times 10^{-17}$ ${\rm y}^{-1}$ on the fractional rate of change of the electromagnetic as well as the strong interaction coupling constants. Our result basically agrees with and even suggests some improvement of the result due recently to Damour and Dyson. Strictly speaking, however, we find another range of the resonance energy shift indicating a nonzero time variation of the constants. We find a rather strong but still tentative indication that this range can be ruled out by including the Gd data, for which it is essential to take the effect of contamination into account.

hep-ph

Analysis of proton-induced fragment production cross sections by the Quantum Molecular Dynamics plus Statistical Decay Model

The production cross sections of various fragments from proton-induced reactions on $^{56}$Fe and $^{27}$Al have been analyzed by the Quantum Molecular Dynamics (QMD) plus Statistical Decay Model (SDM). It was found that the mass and charge distributions calculated with and without the statistical decay have very different shapes. These results also depend strongly on the impact parameter, showing an importance of the dynamical treatment as realized by the QMD approach. The calculated results were compared with experimental data in the energy region from 50 MeV to 5 GeV. The QMD+SDM calculation could reproduce the production cross sections of the light clusters and intermediate-mass to heavy fragments in a good accuracy. The production cross section of $^{7}$Be was, however, underpredicted by approximately 2 orders of magnitude, showing the necessity of another reaction mechanism not taken into account in the present model.

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On the IMF Multiplicity in Au+Au Reactions

Intermediate mass fragment (IMF) multiplicity has been investigated for Au+Au reactions at incident energies of 100, 250 and 400 MeV/A. From the analysis of the impact-parameter-dependence of the IMF multiplicity using our QMD plus statistical evaporation model, we found that 1) statistical decay process modifies the results greatly, and 2) the Fermi motion plays a role to increase the IMF multiplicity for whole impact-parameter range.

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