Two mode fission: Existence of two independent paths in the fission of actinide elements

We attempted to confirm the existence of two-mode-fission mechanism in the²³²Th and²³⁸U plus⁴He systems. Angular distributions and differential ranges of the fission fragments were measured for both systems. Two distinct groups, symmetric and asymmetric, were observed in the anisotropy of the fragments obtained from the angular distributions in either systems. Kinetic energies of the fragments were deduced from the measured ranges and the effective distances were calculated from the data. The distribution of the resulting distances was classified into two groups also, indicating the existence of the symmetric and asymmetric modes. This strongly suggests existence of two independent paths in the fission process.Communicated by: P. Armbruster