Is nuclear viscosity dependent on temperature?

Abstract

Nuclear viscosity is an indispensable ingredient of the nuclear fission collective dynamical models. It governs the exchange of energy between the collective variables and the thermal bath. Its dependence on the shape and temperature is a matter of controversy. By using systems of intermediate fissility we have demonstrated in a recent study that the viscosity parameters is larger for compact shapes, and decreases for larger deformations of the fissioning system, at variance with the conclusions of the statistical model modified to include empirically viscosity and time scales. In this contribution we propose an experimental scenario to highlight the possible dependence of the viscosity from the temperature.