Interaction of two deformed, arbitrarily oriented nuclei

A simple expression for the Coulomb interaction of two deformed, arbitrarily oriented, axially symmetric nuclei is obtained. An accurate approximation for the nuclear part of the interaction between these nuclei has been proposed. The properties of the total potentials between nuclei with prolate-prolate, prolate-oblate, and oblate-oblate deformations at various orientations are discussed. The particularities of the total potentials for the systems leading to superheavy elements are considered in detail. The influence of quadrupole and hexadecapole deformations of both nuclei at various orientations on the barrier height and potential pocket properties is studied.