Time-dependent covariant density functional theory in 3D lattice space: benchmark calculation for 16O + 16O reaction

Abstract: Time-dependent covariant density functional theory with the successful density functional PCPK1 is developed in a three-dimensional coordinate space without any symmetry restrictions, and benchmark calculations for the 16O + 16O reaction are performed systematically. The relativistic kinematics, the conservation laws of the momentum, total energy, and particle number, as well as the time-reversal invariance are examined and confirmed to be satisfied numerically. Two primary applications including the dissipation dynamics and above-barrier fusion cross sections are illustrated. The obtained results are in good agreement with the ones given by the nonrelativistic time-dependent density functional theory and the data available. This demonstrates that the newly developed time-dependent covariant density functional theory could serve as an effective approach for the future studies of nuclear dynamical processes.