Adiabatic time-dependent Hartree-Fock theory in the generalized valley approximation

Abstract

A classical theory of large amplitude, adiabatic collective motion, developed and applied previously to test examples, is transcribed into the language of time-dependent Hartree-Fock theory in order to initiate the application of the new method to problems in nuclear physics. The formulation which emerges can be characterized as a generalized cranking theory, in the sense that the cranking operator cannot be chosen arbitrarily, as in the conventional formulation of this method, but is instead fully constrained by the formalism. A procedure for obtaining approximate solutions to the new equations is described and illustrated with several simplified many-body models. It is inferred that traditional cranking calculations can serve as starting points for more realistic models. This paper also includes additional discussion concerning the calculation of collective masses and the problem of local stability of collective motion, not covered in our previous work.