Effect of shell structure on the fission of sub-lead nuclei

Fission of atomic nuclei often produces mass asymmetric fragments. However, the origin of this asymmetry was believed to be different in actinides and in the sub-lead region [Andreyev et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 105, 252502 (2010)]. It has recently been argued that quantum shell effects stabilizing pear shapes of the fission fragments could explain the observed asymmetries in fission of actinides [Scamps and Simenel, Nature 564, 382 (2018)]. This interpretation is tested in the sub-lead region using microscopic mean-field calculations of fission based on the Hartree-Fock approach with BCS pairing correlations. The evolution of the number of protons and neutrons in asymmetric fragments of mercury isotope fissions is interpreted in terms of deformed shell gaps in the fragments. A new method is proposed to investigate the dominant shell effects in the prefragments at scission. We conclude that the mechanisms responsible for asymmetric fissions in the sub-lead region are the same as in the actinide region, which is a strong indication of their universality.

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