Characteristics of mass and nuclear charge distributions of229th(nth,f). implications for fission dynamics

The mass and nuclear charge distributions of fission fragments from²²⁹Th(n_{th, f}) have been measured at several kinetic energies with the mass spectrometer Lohengrin (ILL-Grenoble). The average proton e-o effect, which reaches 41%, induces large oscillations in the parameters of the isotopic charge distribution. A comparison of the data from different fissile nuclei shows the importance of the last stage of the process for intrinsic excitations.     

Structure of high-spin states in 232Th, 234U and 236U

Multiple Coulomb excitation of ²³²Th, ²³⁴U and ²³⁶U by 5.3 $\text{MeV}\text{u}$²⁰⁸Pb ions has been studied using γ-ray spectroscopy. Excitation of ground-band levels is observed up to spin I^π = 26⁺ (tentatively 28 ⁺) in ²³²Th and ²³⁴U and I^π = 28⁺ (tentatively 30⁺)in ²³⁶U. High-spin levels of the K^π = 0^? octupole-vibrational bands are also observed in these nuclei. The measured transition energies between ground-band levels suggest that at $\text{I≈ 28}\text{h}\text{?}$ several units of angular momentum are carried by single particles aligned with the rotation axis.This result can be understood in terms of a super band built on aligned two-quasiparticle configurations which crosses the ground-state rotational band at a rotational frequency of $\text{h}\text{?}\text{ω ? 0.25}\text{MeV}\text{(I ? 28}\text{h}\text{?}\text{)}$. The E2 transition-matrix elements deduced from the experimental γ-yields agree within their errors with the rigid-rotor predictions up to the highest spins observed.The experimental results are discussed using the concept of rotation alignment and are compared with predictions of the rotation-vibration model and the interacting-boson model.     

The study of the (α, α′ f) reaction at 120 MeV on 232Th and 238U: (II). Fission barrier properties deduced from fission probabilities and angular distributions

The fission probabilities and angular distributions of the fission fragments for the (α, α'f) reaction on ²³²Th and ²³⁸U at a bombarding energy of 120 MeV have been measured from about 4 to 14 MeV excitation energy. Evidence for sub-barrier resonances has been found, the negativeparity ones occurring at the same excitation energy where photofission resonances have been observed. The data are analyzed with the two-humped barrier model. For ²³⁸U the data are reasonably well fitted with barriers similar to those known from the literature. For ²³²Th though, the outer barrier parameters are quite different: the height E_B = 6.6 MeV and the width (khω)_B = 1.2 MeV. Also for ²³²Th, introducing an additional mass symmetric and axially asymmetric outer barrier, as was previously found necessary for ²³⁸U, does not result in a good fit to the data at higher excitation energies.     

The study of the (α, α'f) reaction at 120 MeV on 232Th and 238U: (I). Fission probabilities and angular distributions in the region of the giant quadrupole resonances

The fission decay channel of ²³²Th and ²³⁸U has been investigated, using the (α, α'f) reaction at 120 MeV bombarding energy. The angular distributions of the fission fragments and the fission probabilities up to around 15 MeV excitation have been measured. No evidence for the fission decay of the giant quadrupole resonance has been found, although for ²³⁸U, a weakly excited structure is seen in the (α, α'f) spectrum at about 9.5 MeV excitation at backward angles with respect to the recoil axis. This effect is similar to what has been found in a (⁶Li, ⁶Li'f) experiment reported recently. The over-all feature of the fission probability for excitation energies above the fission barrier are well reproduced by statistical calculations.     

Measurement of mean lifetimes, γ-ray angular distributions and linear polarizations for low-lying levels of 50V

Levels of ⁵⁰V were populated with the ⁵⁰Ti(p, n)⁵⁰V reaction at E_p = 4.50, 4.62 and 4.80 MeV. Gamma rays were measured in singles. From Doppler shift attenuation measurements mean lifetimes have been deduced for 9 levels below E_x = 2 MeV. The J^π assignments for 8 of these levels follows from γ-ray angular distribution and linear polarization measurements. The transition strengths have been compared with calculations based on the wave functions of McCullen, Bayman and Zamick.     

Fission fragment energy correlation measurements for 229Th(nth,f)

Fission-fragment mass and kinetic energy distributions and their correlations have been measured for ²²⁹Th. The results are compared with those for the neighbouring nuclei. The ²²⁹Th yield data show a peak for the symmetric fission. The mass yield peak/valley ratio is 531 ± 49. The 〈E_K〉(μ_H ≈ 115?22) is flat and the dip ΔE_K at symmetry is 18.0 ± 1.1 MeV. In the yields for high kinetic energy selected events, the mass 144 dominates. A complete systematic for the μ_H≈ 144 structure as a function of the fissioning nuclei is presented and discussed.     

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.     

Structure in the subthreshold 232Th(n,f) cross section

The fission cross section of ²³²Th has been measured over the neutron energy range 0.1 MeV to 30 MeV at the Livermore 100 MeV electron linac. The observed structure in the cross section between 0.7 MeV and 1.4 MeV, attributed to vibrational states in the second well of the double-humped fission barrier, is clearly correlated with the angular anisotropy of fission fragments measured by others.     

Neutron emission from the reaction 232Th(n, xn′f)

The energy distributions of neutrons accompanying the fission of ²³²Th are measured by the time-of-flight technique at the bombarding-neutron energies of E _n=14.6 and 17.7 MeV. The data obtained in this way are compared with the results of previous investigations. An excess of soft neutrons that was observed in the experimental spectra of neutrons from ²³⁸U fission at E _n=13.2, 14.7, 16.0, and 17.7 MeV in relation to the results of the calculations based on the model of two sources is also present in the spectra for ²³²Th. The discrepancy between the results of the calculations and experimental data disappears as soon as one assumes the presence of a third source that is related to neutron emission from nonaccelerated fragments.     

Fission-fragment energy correlation measurements for (nth, f) of 232U and 233U

Fission-fragment mass and kinetic energy distributions and their correlations have been measured for ²³²U and ²³³U. The results on these uranium isotopes and ²³⁵U are compared. The mass peak/valley ratio of 785 ± 68 for ²³²U is the highest of the three isotopes. The 〈E_K〉(μ_H) distributions show significant differences. The dip ΔE_K at symmetry is $\text{16.2 ± 1.0}\text{MeV}\text{(}{}^{232}\text{U}\text{)}$, $\text{17.0 ± 1.0}\text{MeV}\text{(}{}^{233}\text{U}\text{)}\text{and}\text{20.6 ± 1.1}\text{MeV}\text{(}{}^{235}\text{U}\text{)}$. In the yields for high-kinetic-energy-selected events, the mass 134 dominates for ²³³U and ²³⁵U, but for ²³²U it is μ_H≈144, which dominates. This complete reversal of profiles can be understood in terms of fragment shells.     

Electrofission of238U and232Th

Absolute electrofission cross sections for²³⁸U and²³²Th in the energy regionE _e =7 ?65 MeV and fission fragment angular distributions forE _e =7–30 MeV have been measured. The angular distributions show strong anisotropies for low energies. The relative dipole and quadrupole contributions as a function of excitation energy are discussed in terms of the low lying fission transition states above the fission barriers. The cross sections show significant deviations from the results of some earlier measurements, in particular in the energy region above the giant dipole resonance. From the difficulties of absolute electrofission cross section measurements and the ambiguities in their interpretation it is concluded that by this time the quantitative analysis of electrofission cross sections with respect to the contributions of the giant quadrupole resonances to the fission decay channel should be regarded as rather tentative.     

Post-neutron mass distribution for 238Pu(nth,f)

The yields of 51 fission products in 36 mass chains produced in ²³⁸Pu(n_th, f) have been determined via γ-ray spectroscopy. The mean number of neutrons per fission was found to be 〈ν_T〉 = 2.5 ± 0.2. A mean proton odd-even effect δ_p = (14 ± 3)% was also deduced for 9 mass chains. These results are discussed in terms of the existing data on other fissioning nuclei.     

Fission-fragment angular distributions for 230Th(n,f) in the vicinity of the 715 keV resonance

Fission-fragment angular distributions have been measured for the neutron-induced fission of ²³⁰Th in the vicinity of the 715 keV resonance with a 2.5 keV (FWHM) neutron energy resolution. An analysis was performed to find a set of fission barrier characteristics that reproduce simultaneously the present angular distribution data and the fission cross-section data of Blons et al. The analysis results show that the data for the 715 keV resonance could be fitted only if allowance is made for the existence of two rotational bands with opposite parities but with the same K quantum number. The moment of inertia parameter $\text{kh}{}^2\text{2}\text{I}$ extracted from the analysis has a value of 1.9 keV, which is compatible with the existence of a third minimum in the fission barrier at a quadrupole deformation of ε₂ = 0.85.     

Resonance strength measurements and thermonuclear reaction rates for 25Mg(p, γ)26Al (II)

The strengths of resonances in ${}^{25}\text{Mg(p}\text{, γ)}{}^{26}\text{Al}$ have been measured in the energy range E_p = 600–1730 keV. Several serious disagreements with previously published results are reported. Thermonuclear reaction rates are calculated for the temperature range (0.5–10) × 10⁹ K for production of ²⁶Al in its ground state and in its isomeric first excited state. Total thermonuclear reaction rates are compared with those calculated from statistical-model cross sections and, even in energy ranges where the experimental cross section derives from widely spaced resonances, the agreement is very good. The establishment of a thermal population of ²⁶Al excited states in a stellar environment is discussed, with both electromagnetic transitions and proton inelastic and superelastic scattering as the thermalising processes.     

Ternary fission yields of 241Pu(nth,f)

Ternary events in the thermal neutron induced fission of ²⁴¹Pu(n,f) were studied with the recoil separator LOHENGRIN at the high-flux reactor of the Institut Laue Langevin in Grenoble. Yields and energy distributions could be determined for most isotopes of the elements hydrogen to oxygen. Also several heavier nuclei up to ³⁰Mg could be observed. Yields were measured for 42 isotopes, for further 17 isotopes upper limits could be deduced. For the first time the halo nuclei ¹¹Li, ¹⁴Be and ¹⁹C were found in neutron induced fission with yields of some 10⁻¹⁰ per fission.     

(n,t) and (n, α) reactions on 9Be

A metallic ⁹Be target was bombarded with 13.99 MeV neutrons; α-particles, tritons and ⁶He recoil nuclei were detected and identified with a telescope consisting of two proportional counters and a solid state detector. Absolute differential cross sections were measured for the (n, t) reactions leading to the ground state and first excited state of ⁷Li and for the (n, α) reactions leading to the ground state and first excited state of ⁶He. No evidence for higher excited states in ⁶He has been found. An attempt has been made to interpret the observed (n, α) angular distributions in terms of the direct reaction model.