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Quantal diffusion approach for multinucleon transfer processes in the $^{58,64}$Ni+$^{208}$Pb reactions: Toward the production of unknown neutron-rich nuclei

Background: In recent years, substantial efforts have been made for the study of multinucleon transfer reactions at energies around the Coulomb barrier both experimentally and theoretically, aiming at the production of unknown neutron-rich heavy nuclei. It is crucial to provide reliable theoretical predictions based on microscopic theories with sufficient predictive power. Purpose: This paper aims to clarify the applicability of the quantal diffusion approach based on the stochastic mean-field (SMF) theory for multinucleon transfer processes. Isotope production cross sections are evaluated for the reactions of $^{64}$Ni+$^{208}$Pb at $E_{c.m.}$=268 MeV and $^{58}$Ni+$^{208}$Pb at $E_{c.m.}$=270 MeV and are compared with available experimental data. Methods: Three-dimensional time-dependent Hartree-Fock (TDHF) calculations are carried out for a range of initial orbital angular momenta with Skyrme SLy4d functional. Quantal diffusion equations, derived based on the SMF theory, for variances and covariance of neutron and proton numbers of reaction products are solved, with microscopic drift and diffusion coefficients obtained from the time evolution of occupied single-particle orbitals in TDHF. Secondary deexcitation processes, both particle evaporation and fission, are simulated by a statistical model, GEMINI++. Results: We find that the quantal diffusion approach reproduces the measured cross sections for abundant reaction products, including both projectile-like and target-like fragments, as well as fragments of transfer-induced fission. The results underline the importance of beyond mean-field effects in describing multinucleon transfer processes. We emphasize that the quantal diffusion description does not involve any adjustable parameters, once an energy density functional is given. Possible future directions are discussed. (Shortened due to the word limit)