Channel coupling analysis of initial reaction stage in synthesis of super-heavy nuclei Original Research Article

The problem of quantum description of near-barrier fusion of heavy nuclei taking place under strong coupling of relative motion with rotation of deformed nuclei and with dy- namic deformations of their surfaces is studied. A new effective method is proposed for numerical solution of a set of coupled Schrödinger equations with boundary conditions corresponding to a full absorption of the flux penetrated through the multi-dimensional Coulomb barrier. The method has no limitation on the number of coupled channels and allows one to calculate fusion cross sections of very heavy nuclei used for synthesis of super-heavy elements. A combined analysis of the multi-dimensional potential energy surface relief and the multi-channel wave function in the vicinity of the Coulomb barrier gives a clear interpretation of near-barrier fusion dynamics.