Entropies, level-density parameters and fission probabilities along the triaxially- and axially-symmetric fission paths in 296Lv

Abstract

We investigate the variation of statistical properties of the fissile nucleus, especially entropy, and nuclear level density, along different fission paths. The calculations were focused on comparing axial and triaxial trajectories leading to fission of ²⁹⁶Lv. We observe that change of shell effects and their suppression rates with deformation can substantially influence fission dynamics. Furthermore, the fission process exhibits iso-entropic behavior at high excitation energies, while pronounced entropy variations are observed at lower energies. We derive a deformation-dependent level density parameter that plays a critical role in estimating the survival probability of a superheavy nucleus. The competition between different fission paths was further studied by employing a master equation approach, thereby demonstrating the critical role of entropy and thermodynamic properties in shaping fission dynamics within multidimensional deformation spaces.