Searches for <Emphasis Type="Italic">T</Emphasis>-odd correlations in the emission of prompt neutrons in the polarized-neutron-induced fission of <Superscript>235</Superscript>U nuclei

The results of an experiment aimed at searches for formally T-odd correlations in the angular distribution of prompt neutrons from the fission of ²³⁵U nuclei are presented. The experiment was performed in the MEPHISTO polarized cold-neutron beam from the Munich FRMII reactor. The correlation coefficient proved to be (−3.5 ± 3.4) × 10⁻⁵ for a three-vector correlation (TRI effect) and (−5.0 ± 3.4) × 10⁻⁵ for a five-vector correlation (ROT effect). This means that no significant effects were discovered within the measurement errors. A comparison with the analogous effects in the ternary fission of ²³⁵U nuclei was performed. The values of the corresponding correlations in the angular distribution of prompt fission gamma rays were refined.     

Scission gamma rays

Gamma rays probably emitted by the fissioning nucleus ²³⁶U* at the instant of the break of the neck or within the time of about 10⁻²¹ s after or before this were discovered in the experiment devoted to searches for the effect of rotation of the fissioning nucleus in the process ²³⁵U($ \vec n $ \vec n , γf) and performed in a polarized beam of cold neutrons from the MEPHISTO Guideline at the FRM II Munich reactor. Detailed investigations revealed that the angular distribution of these gamma rays is compatible with the assumption of the dipole character of the radiation and that their energy spectrum differs substantially from the spectrum of prompt fission gamma rays. In the measured interval 250–600 keV, this spectrum can be described by an exponential function at the exponent value of α = −5 × 10⁻³ keV⁻¹. The mechanism of radiation of such gamma rays is not known at the present time. Theoretical models based on the phenomenon of the electric giant dipole resonance in a strongly deformed fissioning nucleus or in a fission fragment predict harder radiation whose spectrum differs substantially from the spectrum measured in the present study.     

T-odd asymmetries for evaporation neutrons in nuclear fission

T-odd asymmetries in the angular distributions of evaporation neutrons emitted by thermalized fission fragments in the fission of axially symmetric deformed nuclei by cold polarized neutrons are investigated within the quantum theory of fission. The asymmetries in question are due to the anisotropy of angular distributions of evaporation neutrons in the center-of-mass systems of the fission fragments, and this anisotropy arises from the orientation of large-value fission fragment spins in the direction perpendicular to the direction K ₀ of the symmetry axis of the fissioning nucleus at the time of its scission, caused by zero wriggling vibrations of the fissioning nucleus. The angle of rotation of the vector k ₀ with respect to the asymptotic direction k ₀ of the fissioning nucleus symmetry axis is calculated with allowance for the interference of fission amplitudes of neutron resonances excited in a fissioning nucleus as it captures an incident neutron. It is shown that the T-odd asymmetry coefficient for evaporation neutrons is close in structure and value to the analogous coefficient for evaporation γ-rays.     

On the left-right asymmetry of the angular distribution of α particles from ternary nuclear fission by polarized neutrons

Some experimental possibilities of establishing the nature of the recently observed T-odd angular correlation in ternary fission of ²³³U by polarized neutrons are discussed. Specifically, investigation of the neutron energy dependence of the correlation coefficient in the ternary fission of ²³⁹Pu and ²³⁵U could shed light on the problem under discussion. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 70, No. 9, 561–564 (10 November 1999)     

Mechanisms for the appearance of prescission γ-rays and their related T-odd asymmetries

Conditions for the appearance and observation of prescission γ-rays emitted by a fissioning nucleus before its separation into fission fragments were investigated within the quantum theory of fission. It was demonstrated that these conditions can be fulfilled in the γ-decay of giant electric isovector dipole resonances in a fissioning nucleus that become excited due to the nonadiabaticity of the collective deformation motion of the nucleus at the final stages of its prefission evolution. Angular and energy distributions of prescission γ-rays emitted by unpolarized fissioning nuclei were analyzed. Characteristics of T-odd asymmetries in angular distributions of prescission γ-rays were investigated for fission of unpolarized target nuclei induced by polarized cold neutrons, and these correlations were shown to be similar in nature to the T-odd ROT correlations earlier found for α-particles emitted in ternary nuclear fission.     

Even and odd amplitudes of distributions of third particles in nuclear fission

The principal values for the even and odd components of the amplitudes of the angular distributions of α particles emitted as the third particles in true low-energy ternary fission of nuclei are calculated within the quantum theory of fission using natural approximations for the dependence of the potential scattering phases of the α particle on its orbital momenta and experimental angular distributions, unperturbed by the fissioning nucleus rotation, of these third α particles. Knowing the angular dependences of these components, we can estimate the angular dependences of the T-odd ROT and TRI asymmetry coefficients for the ternary fission of actinide nuclei induced by cold polarized neutrons.     

Isospin dependence of scission-neutron multiplicities in Pu isotopes

In contrast to prompt neutrons, scission neutrons are expected to mostly depend on the characteristics of the fissioning nucleus and, in particular, on its neutron number N. We have studied this effect for a series of plutonium isotopes in the framework of the sudden approximation. We have found a continuous nonnegligible increase of scission-neutron multiplicities from ²³⁶Pu (ν _sc = 0.318 n/fission) to ²⁵⁶Pu (ν _sc = 0.597 n/fission) reflecting the increase in the amount of available neutrons in the system. This increase is irregular owing to the dependence of the partial emission probability on the quantum numbers of the single-neutron states involved. The text was submitted by the authors in English     

Shift in the angular distributions of γ quanta accompanying <Superscript>235</Superscript>U fission by polarized thermal neutrons

The angular dependence of the γ-ray asymmetry relative to the plane formed by the directions of fission-fragment separation and longitudinal polarization of the thermal neutrons inducing ²³⁵U(n, f) fission was investigated. The results obtained confirm the existence of γ-ray emission asymmetry and the dependence of its coefficient on the angle between the axes of the fission-fragment and γ-ray detectors, revealed for the first time by the ITEP group at the FRM-II reactor in Munich. The observed T-odd effect of around ∼2 × 10⁻⁴ can be explained by the angular anisotropy of the γ-ray emission from fission fragments with large angular momenta oriented relative to the fission axis.     

Search for <Emphasis Type="Italic">P</Emphasis>-odd asymmetry of prompt neutron emission in <Superscript>235</Superscript>U fission induced by cold polarized neutrons

The preliminary result of the P-odd asymmetry of prompt neutron emission in ²³⁵U fission induced by polarized cold neutrons is a=(2.7±0.8)×10^?5. Only scission neutrons can show such asymmetry, whereas neutrons emitted by excited fragments are the unavoidable background, which suppress the sought asymmetry. The P-odd asymmetry of light fragment emission for ²³⁵U is equal to (8.4±0.6)×10^?5. Assuming that the last figure defines the parity mixture of the fissile nucleus, then the suppression factor is equal approximately to 3.     

Search for T-odd left-right asymmetry of prompt neutron emission in binary fission of the 233U and 239Pu nuclei by slow polarized neutrons

We report preliminary results of measuring the T-odd left-right asymmetry of prompt neutron emission in binary fission of the ²³³U and ²³⁹Pu nuclei by slow polarized neutrons. Assuming that about 35% of prompt neutrons are emitted from the “neck,” one can conclude that the emission asymmetry of scission neutrons in ²³³U is an order of magnitude lower than the asymmetry of α-particle emission in ternary fission.     

Mechanism of the appearance of angular distribution anisotropy for evaporation neutrons in center-of-mass systems emitting their thermalized fission fragments

Anisotropy in the angular distributions of cascade-evaporation neutrons in center-of-mass systems emitting their fission fragments is analyzed in the context of the quantum theory of fission. It is emphasized that such anisotropy is caused not by bending but by wriggling oscillations of the fissioning nucleus in the vicinity of its point of scission; these lead to the appearance of high-value spins of primary fission fragments [(J)\vec]₁\vec J_1 and [(J)\vec]₂\vec J_2 oriented in a plane perpendicular to direction [(n)\vec]₀\vec n_0 of the axis of symmetry of the fissioning nucleus at the instant of scission. This direction coincides with the asymptotic direction of the emission of fission fragments with a high degree of accuracy. The analytical dependences of the anisotropy coefficient on the orbital momentum l and total spin j in angular distributions of cascade-evaporation neutrons are calculated using the methods developed in analyzing angular distributions of cascade-evaporation gamma quanta. The proper spin of a neutron is shown to have almost no effect on the aforesaid anisotropy coefficient due to the weak dependence of the neutron transmission coefficient T _lj ([`(e)]\bar \varepsilon ) on the values of j.     

Dynamics of liquid silane

Neutron scattering of cold neutrons from liquid silane at 137° K and 98°K is explained on the basis of a simple model. The rotational diffusion constant,D _r, and the delay time,τ ₀, after which rotational diffusion may be said to occur are derived on the basis of this model. At 137° K we getD _r=0.22×10¹³ sec⁻¹ andτ ₀=0.68×10⁻¹³ sec. At 98°KD _r (=0.06×10¹³ sec⁻¹) is down by a factor of more than three butτ ₀=(0.54×10⁻¹³ sec) shows only a small change. By comparison with data on liquid CH₄ it is concluded that the law of corresponding states is not applicable for describing rotational dynamics of CH₄ and SiH₄. Rotational motions in SiH₄ are more hindered than in CH₄ at the same reduced temperature.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">T</Emphasis>-odd asymmetries for evaporation γ-rays in nuclear fission

T-odd asymmetries in angular distributions of evaporation γ-rays emitted by thermalized fragments resulting from the fission of axially symmetric deformed nuclei induced by cold polarized neutrons are investigated within the quantum theory of fission. The asymmetries in question are due to the anisotropy of the angular distributions of evaporation γ-rays, caused by zero wriggling vibrations of the fissioning nucleus and associated with the orientation of large fission fragment spins in the direction perpendicular to the direction n ₀ of the symmetry axis of the fissioning nucleus at the time of its separation into fragments. The angle of rotation of the vector n ₀ with respect to the asymptotic direction of the light fission fragment emission is calculated with allowance for the interference of fission amplitudes of neutron resonances excited in the fissioning nucleus as it captures the incident neutron. It is shown that the angular and energy characteristics of the T-odd asymmetry calculated for evaporation γ-rays agree with the characteristics of the experimentally investigated T-odd asymmetry in angular distributions of all γ-rays emitted by a fissioning ²³⁶U nucleus.     

Energetic neutrons and gamma rays measured on the Aryabhata satellite

An experiment to measure energetic neutrons and gamma rays in space was launched in the first Indian scientific satellite,Aryobhata, on April 19, 1975. From this experiment, the first measurements in space of the Earth’s albedo fiux of neutrons of energy between 20 and 500 MeV have been made; the values obtained for two mean geomagnetic vertical cut-off rigidities of 5.6 and 17.0 GV are (6.3±0.4)×10⁻² and (1.4±0.3)×10⁻² neutrons cm⁻² sec⁻¹ respectively. These measurements confirm that protons arising from cosmic ray albedo neutron decay, can adequately account for the protons in the inner radiation belt. Observations on gamma rays of energy between 0.2 and 24 MeV have enabled the determination of the total background gamma ray flux in space as a function of latitude. This in turn has permitted useful information on the diffuse cosmic gamma rays. We have also observed four events that showed sudden increases in the gamma ray counting rates between 0.2 and 4.0 MeV. Observational details of these events are given.     

Unified Mechanism behind the Appearance of <Emphasis Type="Italic">T</Emphasis>-Odd TRI and ROT Asymmetries in Actinide Fission Induced by Cold Polarized Neutrons

Some shortcomings of the approaches that are used to describe T-odd ROT and TRI asymmetries in true ternary fission via reactions involving the emission of prescission alpha particles and which are based on employing the classical method of trajectory calculations are analyzed. These shortcomings are caused by the disregard of the interference between the fission widths of different sJ_s neutron resonance states formed in the first well of the deformation potential of fissile compound nuclei. It is shown that the method used in some studies to determine T-odd TRI-asymmetries for prescission alpha particles is at odds with basic concepts of the generalizedmodel of the nucleus and approaches to constructing collective (for example, bending) vibrations of a fissile compound nucleus. Quantum-mechanical fission theory is generalized via employing a unified mechanism of formation of T-odd TRI and ROT asymmetries for prescission alpha particles and evaporated photons (neutrons). The proposed mechanism takes correctly into account the effect of quantum rotation of a fissile compound nucleus on the angular distributions of fission fragments and alpha particles for true ternary fission, as well as on the angular distribution of prompt photons (neutrons) emitted by fragments originating from the delayed fission of the aforementioned nuclei.     

Left-right asymmetry of the angular distribution of prompt neutrons from 235U fission induced by polarized thermal neutrons

Left-right asymmetry of the angular distribution of prompt neutrons from ²³⁵U fission induced by polarized thermal neutrons was measured. This asymmetry is caused by the interference of the s and p waves in the input reaction channel and was found to be equal to b=(?5.8±1.4)×10^?5.     

Investigations of fission characteristics and correlation effects

We review the experimental results on the P-even and P-odd angular correlations of fission fragments in the fission of the ²³⁵U and ²³⁹Pu nuclei induced by unpolarized and polarized resonance neutrons, and on the TRI and ROT effects in the ternary and binary fission of actinides induced by polarized thermal neutrons. Also reported are the measured yields of prompt and delayed neutrons per fission event. The experimental data are analyzed within a novel theoretical framework developed by the JINR—RNC KI Collaboration, whereby the reduction of the multidimensional phase space of fission fragments to the JπK-channel space is consistently validated and the role of resonance interference in the observed correlation effects is revealed.     

Search for scission neutrons using specific angular correlations in 235U fission induced by slow polarized neutrons

The experimental data concerning scission (or prescission) neutrons are very contradictory—the relative part of these neutrons in the prompt fission neutrons varies from 1 to 35% owing to arbitrary assumptions made in different analyses. To solve this problem, we have used a new alternative method to search for the scission neutrons. We have found the left-right asymmetry of prompt-fission-neutron (PFN) emission caused by sp-wave interference in the entrance channel of the reaction and the P-odd asymmetry of the PFN emission caused by parity nonconservation at the exit channel of the fission process. Both effects cannot reside in PFN evaporated by excited fission fragments. The scission (or prescission) neutrons are responsible for these effects. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Experimental studies of nuclear fission dynamics near the scission point

Conditions for formation of angular and energy distributions of light particles emitted in ternary fission of ^{233, 235}U, ²³⁹Pu, and ²⁴⁵Cm nuclei induced by cold polarized neutrons have been studied in the course of investigating T-odd asymmetry in emission of these particles with respect to the plane formed by the fission axis and the polarization axis of the fissioning nucleus. The results obtained lead to the conclusion that in ternary fission charged particles are emitted by the fissioning nuclear system rotating around the polarization direction.     

Direct calculation of transition intensities in LiYF<Subscript>4</Subscript>: Nd<Superscript>3+</Superscript>

Duan’s simple model is extended to analyze the mixing of the 4f ^{N − 1}5d configuration with the 4f ^N states. The explicit static coupling and traditional dynamic coupling are considered, and the parameters are fitted according to the absorption spectrum in LiYF₄: Nd³⁺. The parameter values obtained are as follows: T ₃₂ = −28i × 10⁻⁷, T ₅₂ = −1151i × 10⁻⁷, A ₃₂² = 192i × 10⁻¹² cm, A ₅₂⁴ = i × 10⁻¹² cm, A ₇₂⁶ = 54i × 10⁻¹² cm, and A ₇₆⁶ = −680i × 10⁻¹² cm. Compared to the experimental measurements, the present model yields better results than those obtained from the Judd-Ofelt theory. The text was submitted by the authors in English.