Basic results of investigations of scission neutrons in nuclear fission at low excitation energies

To estimate the main characteristics of neutrons emitted shortly before the scission of a fissioning nucleus, various experiments sensitive to the presence of these scission neutrons in thermal-neutron-induced fission of ²³⁵U and spontaneous fission of ²⁵²Cf were performed. The results of the experiments were analyzed within theoretical calculations allowing for various possible neutron-emission mechanisms, including the possibility of the emergence of neutrons from the scission of a nucleus.     

Investigation of polar emission in 252Cf and 235U + nth fission

The energy distributions and relative intensities of protons, deuterons, tritons and α-particles emitted along the fission axis during spontaneous fission of ²⁵²Cf were measured simultaneously with both fission fragment energies. The absolute intensity of particles, the mass distribution of fragments, the total kinetic energy and total excitation energy of both fragments were subsequently deduced from the experimental data. Statistical model calculations based on a hypothesis that the polar particles are evaporated from fission fragments have been performed for ²⁵²Cf and ²³⁶U fission. Although some experimental results agree remarkably well with the evaporation hypothesis, the considered model cannot describe many features of the polar emission phenomenon.     

The 6He emission accompanying the spontaneous fission of 252Cf

The results of a multiparameter investigation of the ⁶He emission accompanying the spontaneous fission of ²⁵²Cf are presented. The energy spectrum and the yield of the ⁶He particles are found to be in accord with previous measurements, but their angular distribution is observed to be narrower at 13° ± 3° (FWHM) than the value of ? 32° deduced in a previous investigation.Comparisons of the experimental with published calculated energy spectra and angular distributions for ³H, ⁴He and ⁶He particles are shown to provide evidence for a compact scission configuration in ternary fission.     

Prescission neutrons in the fission of 235U and 252Cf nuclei

Experimental data obtained previously for the energy-angular distribution of neutrons originating from the fission of ²⁵²Cf (spontaneous fission) and ²³⁵U (thermal-neutron-induced fission) nuclei are analyzed, the angle being measured with respect to the direction of fission-fragment motion. A regularity common to all independent experiments is revealed: at an angle of about 90°, there exists an excess of neutrons (30% for ²⁵²Cf and 60% for ²³⁵U) that does not admit explanation within the model of neutron emission from fully accelerated fragments. Two possible explanations of this experimental fact—neutron emission during the acceleration process and the existence of an additional source of neutrons (predominantly, prescission neutrons)—are considered. It is shown that the latter conjecture describes the observed features for both nuclei more adequately. The total yield of prescission neutrons and their energy and angular distributions are determined.     

Ternary fission within statistical approach

The ternary system with a light nucleus between two heavy fragments is assumed to appear from the binary configuration near scission. The formation of a third light nucleus in the binary system is considered. The calculated charge distributions in spontaneous ternary fission of ²⁵²Cf and in induced ternary fission of ⁵⁶Ni are compared with the available experimental data. The neutron multiplicity from the fission fragments is described. The fine structures of the TKE-mass distribution are predicted.     

Scission configuration in quaternary fission

Trajectory calculations have been carried out to obtain information about scission configuration in quaternary fission on the basis of observed angular-correlation and energy correlations between two alpha particles in the spontaneous quaternary fission of²⁵²Cf. A number of plausible hypotheses for the scission configuration were tested against the experimental observations on the two alpha particles. The role of mutual repulsion between two alpha particles at scission in deciding the final energy angular correlations has been examined. It was found that only one hypothesis regarding scission configuration is consistent with the experimental data.     

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.     

Generation of angular momentum of fission fragments in a cluster model

Based on the dinuclear system concept, the role of bending vibrations in creation of the angular momentum of primary fission fragments is investigated. For ²⁵²Cf spontaneous fission, the angular momenta of the fragments are calculated as a function of the neutron multiplicity and compared with available experimental data. Different cluster compositions of the ²⁵²Cf fission modes at the scission point are considered.     

Correlation between neutrons and fragments in 252Cf (sf)

The gridded ion chamber developed at CBNM provides a powerful tool for measurements of fission fragment angular, kinetic energy and mass distributions with an angular efficiency close to 4π. In the present experiment it is used together with a neutron time-of-flight detector to measure the correlation between neutron emission, fragment angle, mass and energy in the spontaneous fission of ²⁵²Cf.     

THE MICROSCOPIC CALCULATION OF THE STATISTICAL THEORY OF NUCLEAR FISSION

Based on the statistical fission theory, we have calculated the mass and kinetic energy distributions as well as other physical quantities of ²³⁵U fission induced by thermal neutron using microscopical method. That is, the quantum state densities of the fragments at scission point are calculated by means of BCS hamiltonian. The contribution of the collective deformation of fragments to the quantum state density has been taken into consideration. The potential energy of fragment is calculated by means of Strutinski procedure, and the shelling effect, pairing correlation as well as collective deformation have been taken into consideration in calculating the excitation energy at scission point. The scission point distance is treated as an adjustable parameter.Comparing with other statistical fission theories, our results give better agreement with existing experiments.     

Coaxial Fission of Nuclei to Three Commensurate Fragments

Trajectory calculations of the angular distribution of fragments originating from the spontaneous true ternary fission of ²⁵²Cf nuclei are performed with allowance for the rotation of the fissile-nucleus axis. This rotation arises upon scission because of the formation of fragment spins despite the conservation of zero total angular momentum at all fission stages. The calculations in question lead to the conclusion that a collinear tripartition is the most probable in spontaneous true ternary fission of ²⁵²Cf nuclei. This confirms experimental data, thereby creating the basis that is necessary for obtaining deeper insight into them.     

Correlations of fission fragment angular momentum with collective and intrinsic degrees of freedom

In the present work angular momenta of the fragments corresponding to¹³²I^m,g have been deduced from the radiochemically determined independent isomeric yield ratios and statistical model based analysis in neutron induced fission of²³⁵U,²³⁹Pu and²⁴⁵Cm and spontaneous fission of²⁵²Cf. These data along with similar data on¹³⁴I, reported earlier from this laboratory, bring out the effects of deformed 66n and spherical 82n shells on fragment angular momentum showing also an inverse correlation of the latter with elemental yields. Quantitative estimates of fragment scission point deformation and the coefficient of change of fragment angular momentum with kinetic/excitation energy have been deduced and are seen to be in good agreement with the expected theoretical estimates.     

Bimodality and charge splitting in fission of actinides

Within the scission point model the bimodality in fission of actinides is demonstrated to be related to different neighboring charge and mass splittings. This phenomenon is peculiar not only for the fission of heavy nuclei like ^256,258Fm and ^256,258,262No but also for fission of lighter actinides like ²³⁶U, ²⁴⁰Pu and ²⁵²Cf. The experiments are suggested to prove our interpretation of bimodality.     

Geometrical and dynamical state of the 252Cf nucleus at the scission point as determined from the experimental results of ternary fission

Resuits on the geometrical and dynamical states of fission fragments and α-particles are presented for the most probable mode of ternary fission, at the instant of release of the light particle. The distributions of the relevant physical quantities are obtained by means of a program calculating the trajectories of three point charges. A total of about 2 × 10⁵ combinations of the parameters, derived by subdividing the quantities into physically significant intervals, are used. The computed values are compared with experimental results and the distributions of the parameters are weighted by the spectrum of the α-parlicles. The dynamics of the system undergoing fission at scission point are characterized by the following quantities: (i) The total kinetic energy of fragments. (ii) The kinetic energy of the α-particle. (iii) The distance between the centres of charge of the fragments, (iv) The abscissa and Ordinate of the α-particle emission point, (v) The emission angle of the α-parlicle with respect to the line of flight of the light fragment. The distributions of above quantities are presented for the most probable model of spontaneous ternary fission of ²⁵²Cf The results obtained are discussed and relevant information on the dynamical properties of the last fission stage is presented.     

New experimental studies on the quaternary fission of <Superscript>233, 235</Superscript>U(n<Subscript>th</Subscript>, f ) and <Superscript>252</Superscript>Cf (sf )

Experiments have been performed for studying quaternary fission (QF) in spontaneous fission of ²⁵²Cf, on the one hand, and for the neutron-induced fission reactions ^{233, 235}U(n_th, f ), on the other hand. In this higher-multiplicity fission mode, by definition, four charged products appear in the final state. In other words, as a generalization of the ternary-fission process, not only one but two light charged particles (LCPs) are accompanying the splitting of an actinide nucleus into the customary pair of fission fragments. In the two sets of measurements, which have used quite different approaches, the yields of several QF reactions with α-particles and tritons as the LCPs have been determined and the corresponding kinetic-energy distributions of the α-particles measured. The QF process can appear in two basically different ways: i) the simultaneous creation of two LCPs in the act of fission (“true” QF) and ii) via a fast sequential decay of a single but particle-unstable LCP in common ternary fission (“pseudo” QF). Experimentally the two varieties of QF have been distinguished by exploiting the different patterns of angular correlations between the two outgoing LCPs. The experiments described in the present paper are the first to demonstrate that both types of reactions, true and pseudo QF, occur with quite comparable probabilities. As a new result also, the kinetic-energy distributions related to the two processes have been shown to be significantly different. For all QF reactions which could be explored, the yields for ²⁵²Cf(sf) were found to be roughly by an order of magnitude larger than the yields found in the ²³³U(n_th, f ) and ²³⁵U(n_th, f ) reactions. An interesting by-product has been the measurement of yields of excited LCPs which allows to deduce nuclear temperatures at scission by comparison to the respective yields in the ground state.     

Neutron-neutron angular correlations in spontaneous fission of <Superscript>252</Superscript>Cf

An experiment has been carried out to study neutron-neutron angular correlations in spontaneous fission of ²⁵²Cf. Angular dependences of the number of neutron-neutron coincidences obtained in the experiment were compared with the results of the Monte Carlo calculations for various neutron detection thresholds in the range 425–1600 keV. It was inferred that 10–11% of the total number of prompt neutrons from ²⁵²Cf (s.f.) in the laboratory system were emitted isotropically and may probably be interpreted as neutrons directly associated with the instant of scission of the nucleus. The analysis allowed their energy distribution to be determined as well. A similar method was also used to describe the angular correlation of prompt neutrons that accompanied the reaction ²³⁵U(n _th ,f).     

Étude de la dissipation d'énergie dans la fission de 234u à l'aide de la réaction 233U(d,pf)

The energy balance in the fission of ²³⁴U has been investigated on the basis of experimental results from the ²³³U(d, pf) reaction. Taking into account the neutron evaporation we have deduced the total kinetic energy and excitation energy distributions of the primary fragments as functions of the excitation energy of the fissioning nucleus. The neutron evaporation temperatures have been adjusted so as to reproduce the average value and width of the measured kinetic energy distributions for each fragmentation. Excitation energy distributions of the fragments have been deduced. The data are discussed in the framework of the liquid-drop model with shell corrections. Evidence for energy dissipation in the fission of ²³⁴U, involving drastic changes in the scission configuration, is shown for some fragmentation modes.     

Semi-microscopical description of the scission configuration in the neutronless fission of 252Cf

The neutronless fission of ²⁵²Cf is studied in the frame of a molecular model in which the scission configuration is described by two aligned fragments interacting by means of Coulomb (+ nuclear) forces. The study is carried out for different distances between the fragments tips and excitation energies. For a given deformation, the fragment's total energy is computed via the constrained Hartree-Fock + BCS formalism. The total excitation energy present in the fragments is supposed to contribute only to the fragments deformation and the asymptotic value of the kinetic energy is equated to the inter-fragment potential at scission. These two constraints are yielding a few fission channels for a fixed tip distance and excitation energy. Discarding those fission channels corresponding to a disequilibrium in the sharing of the excitation energy between the two fragments, we establish the most likely scission configurations for a specified excitation energy. Received: 24 September 1999     

Photofission of nuclei with allowance for wriggling vibrations of fissioning nuclei

It is confirmed that one source of the large relative orbital momenta L of fragments in spontaneous and stimulated low-energy nuclear fission is quantum transverse zero-point wriggling vibrations of the fissioning system near its scission point. The angular distributions of fragments of low-energy photofission of actinide nuclei, calculated using the quantum theory of fission, are compared. Vibrations are allowed for by using parameter C _w determined by Nix and Swiatecki. Agreement between the experimental and theoretical angular distributions for ²³⁴U, ²³⁶U, ²³⁸U, ²³⁸Pu, ²⁴⁰Pu, ²⁴²Pu nuclei is observed. The strong sensitivity of the theoretical angular distributions for ²³⁸Pu, ²⁴⁰Pu, ²⁴²Pu nuclei toward the choice of parameters of transient fissioning states at the external and internal fission barriers is demonstrated.