Binary fission in Tb and Ag by 600 MeV protons

The binary fission process in ¹⁵⁹Tb and ^natAg induced by 600 MeV protons has been investigated yielding fission cross sections (1.9 and 1.0 mb, respectively) and mean values of the total kinetic energies (100 and 62 MeV, respectively).     

Fission of medium mass elements induced by 126 MeV 14N ions

Ni, Se, Mo, Ag, Ho and Au targets were bombarded by 126 MeV ¹⁴N ions in order to study compound nucleus fission. The large angular momentum brought in by the projectile implies much greater fission probabilities than those obtained when the same compound nuclei are created with light projectiles. We employed two surface-barrier detectors. The results obtained are fission cross sections, angular correlations and kinetic energy and mass distributions. Fissilities are found to decrease exponentially with the ratio Z²/A of the fissioning nucleus until Z²/A = 19 (molybdenum) and then to increase again for lower Z²/A. The calculations of fissilities performed with the fission barrier of Myers and Swiatecki, and including angular momentum effects in evaporation-fission competition, gives the same variation of fissilities as the experimental one, but the results obtained are lower than the experimental values. The total kinetic energies measured are higher than the predictions of the liquid drop model by around 10 MeV (Nix). The shapes of the mass distributions indicate that the value of x_BG (Businaro-Gallone point) is lower than 0.4 (silver).     

On the evolution of the mass asymmetry in damped heavy-ion collisions

TotaT kinetic energy vs. fragment mass distributions have been measured in the reactions of⁶⁴Zn projectiles with¹¹⁴Sn,^natAg and¹³⁹La nuclei at incidence energies of 20–50% above the Coulomb barrier. Conclusions are drawn on the possible influence of nuclear structure effects on the energy dissipation and the mass drift behaviour of the present collision systems.     

Mass yields in the binary fission of Ag,La and Tb

The mass distributions from the binary fission of Ag, La and Tb induced by 600 MeV protons are presented. The experimental results are compared with the predictions of macroscopic theories, in particular the version of the liquid drop model including dynamical and statistical effects.     

Fission modes in charged-particle induced fission

The population of the three fission modes predicted by Brosa's multi-channel fission model for the uranium region was studied in different fissioning systems. They were produced bombarding²³²Th and²³⁸U targets by light charged particles with energies slightly above the Coulomb barrier. Though the maximum excitation energy of the compound nucleus amounted to about 22 MeV, the influences of various spherical and deformed nuclear shells on the mass and total kinetic energy distributions of fission fragments are still pronounced. The larger variances of the total kinetic energy distributions compared to those of thermal neutron induced fission were explained by temperature dependent fluctuations of the amount and velocity of alteration of the scission point elongation of the fissioning system. From the ratio of these variances the portion of the potential energy dissipated among intrinsic degrees of freedom before scission was deduced for the different fission channels. It was found that the excitation remaining after pre-scission neutron emission is mainly transferred into intrinsic heat and less into pre-scission kinetic energy.     

Symmetric and asymmetric fission of Ac isotopes near the fission threshold

Fission probabilities and fragment anisotropies were investigated for fission of ²²⁷Ac and ²²⁸Ac by means of direct reactions with a ³He beam on a ²²⁶Ra target. Triple-humped mass distributions are found also for excitation energies where second-chance fission is excluded. The fission barrier is higher for symmetric fission compared to that for asymmetric fission by 1.2 and 2.0 MeV, respectively, suggesting that the character of the mass split is already predetermined at the saddle point.     

Single-particle enhancement of heavy-element production

Fusion barriers are calculated in a macroscopic-microscopic model for several cold-fusion heavy-ion reactions leading to heavy and superheavy elements. The results obtained in such a picture are very different from those obtained in a purely macroscopic model. For reactions on ²⁰⁸Pb targets, shell effects in the entrance channel result in fusion-barrier energies at the touching point that are only a few MeV higher than the ground state for compound systems near Z = 110. The entrance-channel fragment-shell effects remain far inside the touching point, almost to configurations only slightly more elongated than the ground-state configuration, where the fusion barrier has risen to about 10 MeV above the ground-state energy. Calculated single-particle level diagrams show that few level crossings occur until the peak in the fusion barrier very close to the ground-state shape is reached, which indicates that dissipation is negligible until very late in the fusion process. Whereas the fission valley in a macroscopic picture is several tens of MeV lower in energy than is the fusion valley, we find in the macroscopic-microscopic picture that the fission valley is only about 5 MeV lower than the fusion valley for cold-fusion reactions leading to compound systems near Z = 110. These results show that no significant “extra-extrapush” energy is needed to bring the system inside the fission saddle point and that the typical reaction energies for maximum cross section in heavy-element synthesis correspond to only a few MeV above the maximum in the fusion barrier.     

Cold deformed fission in232U(n,f) and239Pu(n,f)

Masses, charges and kinetic energies of light fission fragments from the reactions²³²U(n, f) and²³⁹Pu(n, f) induced by thermal neutrons have been measured on the Cosi fan tutte spectrometer of the Institut Laue-Langevin in Grenoble. Both at very high and very low kinetic energies marked fine structures in the mass yields and odd-even staggerings in the charge yields are observed. In the framework of a scission point model the results are shown to point to compact and deformed scission configurations, respectively, where at scission the fragments carry no intrinsic excitation energy. The two limiting processes may, therefore, be called cold compact fission (usually known as cold fission) and cold deformed fission. The latter process as a general phenomenon of low energy fission has come into focus only recently.     

Variation of total kinetic energy and mass distributions in the fusion-fission reaction of 16O,19F + 209Bi at near barrier energies

Fission fragment mass and energy distributions and their correlations have been measured for the ¹⁶O and ¹⁹F + ²⁰⁹Bi reactions over a wide range of excitation energies ( E ^* = 30-50 MeV). It is observed that in the case of ¹⁶O + ²⁰⁹Bi reaction, the average total fragment kinetic energy, <TKE> is nearly independent of the bombarding energy. However, in the case of ¹⁹F + ²⁰⁹Bi reaction, the average total kinetic energy of the fission fragments shows a peaking behaviour near the barrier. The variation in <TKE> at near barrier energies in the ¹⁹F + ²⁰⁹Bi system seems to be correlated with corresponding strong variation in the variance of the fragment mass distribution. The present results may imply certain dynamical effects leading to compact scission configurations in the fission of ¹⁹F + ²⁰⁹Bi system at near barrier bombarding energies. Received: 9 April 2001 / Accepted: 26 May 2001     

Prompt neutron emission spectra and multiplicities in the thermal neutron induced fission of235U

The emission spectra of prompt fission neutrons from mass and kinetic energy selected fission fragments have been measured in²³⁵U(n _th,f). Neutron energies were determined from the measurement of the neutron time of flight using a NE213 scintillation detector. The fragment energies were measured by a pair of surface barrier detectors in one set of measurements and by a back-to-back gridded ionization chamber in the second set of measurements. The data were analysed event by event to deduce neutron energy in the rest frame of the emitting fragment for the determination of neutron emission spectra and multiplicities as a function of the fragment mass and total kinetic energy. The results are compared with statistical model calculations using shell and excitation energy dependent level density formulations to deduce the level density parameters of the neutron rich fragment nuclei over a large range of fragment masses.     

Studies of mass and energy correlations in thermal neutron fission of U-235 accompanied by long range alpha particles

Several characteristics of fission accompanied by long range alpha particles (LRA) have been studied in the thermal neutron induced fission of²³⁵U. The kinetic energies of fission fragments and the LRA were measured with a back-to-back ionization chamber and semiconductor detectors respectively. The kinetic energies of the two fragments and the LRA in LRA fission, along with the energies of pair fragments in the normal binary fissions, were recorded event by event on a magnetic tape by means of a four-parameter data acquisition system. The data were analysed to study the dependence of different quantities in LRA fission on the fragment mass ratio, LRA energy and the total kinetic energy of the fission fragments. It is seen that the most probable energy of LRA increases significantly for near symmetric mass divisions. The total kinetic energy for all mass ratios in LRA fission is found to be (2.6±0.7) MeV larger than that in binary fission. The difference in the total kinetic energies in LRA and binary fissions is seen to be dependent on mass ratio. This result may suggest that the scission configuration in LRA fission is different for different mass ratios. Correlations between the fission fragment and LRA energies have been studied for several mass ratios. It is seen that the most probable fragment kinetic energyĒ _k varies nearly linearly with the LRA energyE _a for various mass divisions but the variation of the most probable LRA energyĒ _a with fragment kinetic energyE _k is found to deviate from linearity for several mass ratios. From a least square fit to the variation ofĒ _k withE _a it is found that the slope (dĒ _k/dE_a) increases with the increase in mass ratio. The present results are discussed to arrive at a better understanding of the scission configuration in the fission accompanied by LRA emission.     

Photoinduced fission of the doubly even uranium isotopes 234U, 236U and 238U

A measurement of the angular distributions and yields of fission fragments in the photofission of ²³⁴U has been performed between 5.2 and 6.4 MeV. As γ-source, the bremsstrahlung from a microtron was used. For the detection of the fission fragments, solid-state track detectors were used. The present data for ²³⁴U have been analysed together with earlier obtained data for ²³⁶U and ²³⁸U. The values of the fission barrier parameters obtained are compared to results in theoretical macroscopic and microscopic fission potential energy calculations.     

Calculation of multidimensional potential energy surfaces for even-even transuranium nuclei: systematic investigation of the triaxiality effect on the fission barrier

Static fission barriers for 95 even-even transuranium nuclei with charge number Z = 94-118 have been systematically investigated by means of pairing self-consistent Woods-Saxon-Strutinsky calculations using the potential energy surface approach in multidimensional(β_2, γ, β_4) deformation space. Taking the heavier (252)~Cf nucleus(with the available fission barrier from experiment) as an example, the formation of the fission barrier and the influence of macroscopic, shell and pairing correction energies on it are analyzed. The results of the present calculated β_2 values and barrier heights are compared with previous calculations and available experiments. The role of triaxiality in the region of the first saddle is discussed. It is found that the second fission barrier is also considerably affected by the triaxial deformation degree of freedom in some nuclei(e.g., the Z =112-118 isotopes). Based on the potential energy curves, general trends of the evolution of the fission barrier heights and widths as a function of the nucleon numbers are investigated. In addition, the effects of Woods-Saxon potential parameter modifications(e.g.,the strength of the spin-orbit coupling and the nuclear surface diffuseness) on the fission barrier are briefly discussed.     

Diabolic pair transfer and oscillating behavior of backbending in rotating nuclei

Quantum effects generate “channels” which guide a nucleus from ground state to scission. We present here the channels of²⁵⁸Fm and relate them to the measured kinetic energies of the fission products, to the mass asymmetry and to the relative abundance of the various fission components. The microscopic reason is discussed.     

Recoil energies of fragments photoproduced in Cu,Ag and Au

The recoil energies of²⁴Na produced in Cu, Ag and Au and of a series of fragments produced in Cu irradiated with 800 MeV bremsstrahlung have been measured in directions forward, backward and perpendicular to the beam using the thick target-thick catcher method. Comparison of the measured values with theoretical calculations indicates that²⁴Na is produced through fission in Ag and Au and that fission is competing with spallation even in Cu.     

Barriers for pion-induced fission near A = 208

Measured fission cross sections for π⁺ and π^? beams of 150 MeV on isotopically separated targets near A=208 show a smooth dependence of the fission probability on the target mass, without any indication of the increased fission barriers expected for fission at low excitation near doubly magic ²⁰⁸Pb. Extraction of fission barriers from these data is attempted for a range of possible excitation energies, finding that these barriers are near 8 MeV near A=208, without much sensitivity to the assumed excitation energy.     

Fission-mode calculations for 239U,a revision of the multi-modal random neck-rupture model

In the course of an experimental study of the fragment characteristics after neutron-induced fission of ²³⁸U with incident neutron energies between 1.2 and 5.8 MeV fission-mode calculations in the frame of the multi-modal random neck-rupture model have been performed. During these calculations some technical parts of the model have been revised. The identification of fission modes is now based on unequivocal and reproducible criteria. The Rayleigh criterion has consequently been applied to determine each possible scission configuration. The most remarkable new results are that all physically relevant fission modes branch off in the second potential minimum exhibiting different outer barriers, and that the total kinetic energy distribution of the fission fragments is a direct consequence of the Rayleigh criterion. The fragment characteristics as the mean mass, the mean total kinetic energy and the corresponding width obtained from the fission-mode calculations compare reasonably well with the experimental findings.For the first time the weighted fission cross sections through each particular fission mode have been analyzed simultaneously using a Hill-Wheeler type expression for the transmission through a double-humped fission barrier. The results support the picture of individual outer barriers with slightly different penetrabilities and a slightly lower inner barrier.     

A possible mechanism in heavy ion induced reactions: “Fast fission process”

The influence of the orbital angular momentuml on the mass distribution of fission fragments is studied, both on previously available data on heavy ion induced fission and in new specifically planned experiments: systems⁴⁰Ar+¹⁶⁵Ho and²⁴Mg+¹⁸¹Ta at bombarding energies ranging from 180 up to 391 MeV and leading to the same fissioning nucleus²⁰⁵At with differentl distributions. Whenl values corresponding to a vanished fission barrier are reached, the mass distribution broadens. This suggest the existence of a specific process, “fast fission”, atl-values intermediate betweenl-values leading to compound nucleus formation and deep inelastic collisions, respectively. This process and its conditions of occurence are discussed; of special interest are the correlated differences between the limitations to the fusion cross-section and the fission mass distributions broadenings, respectively, for the Ar+Ho and Mg+Ta systems.     

The reaction mechanism in the system132Xe+56Fe at 5.73 MeV/u: Evidence for a new type of strongly damped collisions

We present data for the¹³²Xe+⁵⁶Fe-system at 5.73 MeV/u laboratory energy. Due to inverted kinematics, where Xe is the projectile, we were able to measure energy spectra as well as angular distributions for reaction products with 20≦Z≦60 with unitZ-resolution; i.e. target- and projectile-like fragments have been investigated. The reaction shows a well focussed quasielastic component, where charge transfer from the light to the heavy collision partner dominates. This apparent tendency towards more asymmetric fragmentation is explained by a potential energy surface which favours such charge transfer in order to minimize the asymmetry energy of the liquid drop. The strongly damped component which constitutes the major part of the reaction cross section exhibits characteristics of a fusion-fission reaction with typical fission fragment kinetic energies and 1/sinΘ _c.m. angular distributions. The maximum cross section is found for the symmetric fragmentation, no clear indication is observed for a diffusion process leading to target- and projectile-like fragments. Our data are difficult to reconcile either with the standard diffusion models or with an equilibrated compound nucleus fission picture. We tentatively conclude that an essential part of the fully damped cross section originates from partial waves for which the compound nucleus has no fission barrier.     

Asymmetric mass distribution from the fusion-fission reaction40Ar+243Am

The mass distributions and total c.m. kinetic energies of fission fragments formed in the reaction⁴⁰Ar+²⁴³Am at bombarding energies of 214, 222, 240 and 300 MeV have been measured using the angular correlation method. Angular distributions and anisotropy for 222 and 300 MeV have also been obtained. A symmetric mass distribution corresponding to the decay of a highly excited compound nucleus was obtained at 300 MeV bombarding energy. However, with decreasing bombarding energy the fission fragment mass distribution becomes asymmetric, the most probable heavy fragment mass being about 200–210 amu.