Nuclear Fission Within the Lublin–Strasbourg Drop Model

Abstract

The nuclear liquid drop (LD) model proposed first in 1935 by Weizsacker has explained quantitatively the systematics of nuclear binding energies known at that time [1]. This model was extended in 1939 by Meitner and Frisch by adding the deformation dependence to the surface and Coulomb terms in the LD mass formula [2]. This extension was needed to explain new phenomenon, nuclear fission, discovered in fall 1938 by Hahn and Strassman who have discovered barium in the natural uranium radiated with neutrons [3]. First quantitative calculation related to the fission process with the use of deformed liquid drop was performed by Bohr and Wheeler who have expanded the surface of a fissioning nucleus in the spherical harmonics series [4]. They have got a reasonable estimate of the fission barrier height and kinetic energies of the fission fragments. Next important step, which we would like to remind, was done by Myers and Świątecki who have added the shell and pairing corrections to the liquid drop binding energy [5]. This new macroscopic–microscopic model became