Adiabatic self-consistent collective path in nuclear fusion reactions

Abstract

Collective reaction paths for fusion reactions, $^{16}$O+$\alpha$ $\rightarrow$ $^{20}$Ne and $^{16}$O+$^{16}$O $\rightarrow$ $^{32}$S, are microscopically determined, on the basis of the adiabatic self-consistent collective coordinate (ASCC) method. The collective path is maximally decoupled from other intrinsic degrees of freedom. The reaction paths turn out to deviate from those obtained with standard mean-field calculations with constraints on quadrupole and octupole moments. The potentials and inertial masses defined in the ASCC method are calculated along the reaction paths. The sub-barrier fusion cross sections are calculated for these systems. Inertial mass inside the Coulomb barrier may have a significant influence on the fusion cross section at the deep sub-barrier energy.