Microscopic study of 240Pu: Mean field and beyond

The influence of exact angular-momentum projection and configuration mixing on properties of a heavy, well-deformed nucleus is discussed for the example of 240Pu. Starting from a self-consistent model using Skyrme interactions, we analyze the resulting modifications of the deformation energy, the fission barrier height, the excitation energy of the superdeformed minimum associated with the fission isomer, the structure of the lowest rotational bands with normal deformation and superdeformation, and the corresponding quadrupole moments and transition moments. We present results obtained with the Skyrme interactions SLy4 and SLy6, which have slightly different surface tensions