Fourier transform of single particle wave functions in extremely deformed nuclei: Towards the momentum distribution of scission neutrons

Abstract

The Fourier transform of single particle wave functions in cylindrical coordinates is applied to the study of neutrons released during scission. We propagate the neutron wave packets in time through the bi-dimensional time dependent Schrödinger equation with time dependent potential. We separate the parts of these wave packets that are in the continuum and calculate their Fourier transforms at different times: immediately after scission (T = 1×10-22 s) and at several intervals afterwards (until T = 50×10-22 s). The momentum distributions corresponding to these Fourier transforms are then estimated. The evolution of these distributions in time provides an insight into the separation of the neutron from the fissioning system and asymptotically gives the kinetic energy spectrum of that particular neutron.