One-dimensional nuclear dynamics in the time-dependent Hartree-Fock approximation

The time-dependent Hartree-Fock theory is applied to the large amplitude dynamics of slabs of spin and isospin symmetric nuclear matter. The slabs are translationally invariant in two transverse dimensions, and with the simplified effective interaction used in this work, the problem is reduced to a set of coupled nonlinear equations for time-dependent functions of a single spatial variable. By specification of appropriate initial conditions, large amplitude oscillations of a single slab, the scattering of a slab from an external potential barrier, and collisions of two slabs have been investigated. The results evidence a wide variety of dynamic phenomena, including fusion, compound nucleus formation, dissipation, strongly damped collisions, shock wave propagation, and fragmentation. The microscopic aspects of the dynamics, the relation to fluid mechanics, and the practical and conceptual problems arising from the theory are discussed in detail