Multidimensional Skyrme-density-functional Study of the Spontaneous Fission of 238U

We determined the spontaneous fission lifetime of 238U by a minimization of the action integral in a three-dimensional space of collective variables. Apart from the mass-distribution multipole moments Q20 (elongation) and Q30 (left–right asymmetry), we also considered the pairing- fluctuation parameter λ2 as a collective coordinate. The collective potential was obtained self-consistently using the Skyrme energy density functional SkM∗ . The inertia tensor was obtained within the nonperturbative cranking approximation to the adiabatic time-dependent Hartree–Fock– Bogoliubov approach. The pairing-fluctuation parameter λ2 allowed us to control the pairing gap along the fission path, which sign…