Angular distributions and anisotropy of the fragments from neutron-induced fission of <Superscript>233</Superscript>U and <Superscript>209</Superscript>Bi in the intermediate energy range of 1–200 MeV

New results of the neutron-induced fission experiments carried out at the neutron time-of-flight spectrometer GNEIS of the PNPI are given. Angular distributions of fission fragments from the neutron-induced fission of ²³³U and ²⁰⁹Bi nuclei have been measured in the energy range 1–200 MeV using position sensitive multiwire proportional counters as fission fragment detector. The recent improvements of the measurement and data processing procedures are described. The data on anisotropy of fission fragments deduced from the measured angular distributions are presented in comparison with the experimental data of other authors.     

Study of the high-energy part of the spectrum of γ rays from the neutron-induced fission reaction of 235U nuclei

The spectrum of γ rays from the neutron-induced fission reaction of ²³⁵U nuclei has been investigated in the energy range 10–90 MeV. The experiment was performed in the horizontal channel of a nuclear reactor. The energy spectra was measured using a single-crystal NaI(Tl) spectrometer. The data on the energy dependence of the yield of γ rays have been obtained in the energy range 10–36 MeV. The upper limit of the probability of γ-ray emission has been determined for the range 36–90 MeV.     

Isotopic distributions of Rb and Cs in the proton and neutron induced fission of 238U

The statistical model for fission is used to calculate the isotopic distribution of Rb and Cs in the fission of ²³⁸U induced by high-energy protons and reactor neutrons. The double-humped behaviour of the isotope yield curve as observed in high-energy proton-induced fission and the experimentally observed hump on the neutron-rich side in neutron-induced fission are semi-quantitatively reproduced.     

Neutron-induced fission cross sections of short-lived actinides with the surrogate reaction method

Neutron-induced fission cross sections for ^242,243Cm and ²⁴¹Am have been obtained with the surrogate reaction method. Recent results for the neutron-induced cross section of ²⁴³Cm are questioned by the present data. For the first time, the ²⁴²Cm cross section has been determined up to the onset of second-chance fission. The good agreement at the lowest excitation energies between the present results and the existing neutron-induced data indicates that the distributions in spin and parity of states populated with both techniques are similar.     

Does the coherent bremsstrahlung of fission fragments exist?

The spectrum of γ rays from the neutron-induced fission of ²³⁵U nuclei has been studied in a range of 10–90 MeV. The experiment has been carried out in the horizontal experimental channel of a nuclear reactor. The energy spectrum was measured using a single-crystal NaI(T1) spectrometer. The data on the energy dependence of the yield of γ rays have been obtained in a range of 12–38 MeV. The upper limit on the probability of the emission of γ rays has been determined for a range of 38–90 MeV. It has been shown that the experimental data are inconsistent with available models attributing the yield of γ rays in this energy range to the coherent bremsstrahlung of fission fragments in the Coulomb field.     

Cross section for the subthreshold fission of 236U

The cross section for ²³⁶U fission in the neutron-energy range E _n = 0.001–20 keV was measured by using the INR RAS (Institute of Nuclear Research, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow) LSDS-100 neutron spectrometer of the lead slowing-down spectrometer type. The resonance fission areas of the resonances at 5.45 eV and 1.28 keV were found, and the fission widths of these resonances were evaluated. The cross section for the ²³⁸U(n, f) fission process was measured, and the threshold sensitivity of the LSDS-100 to small values of fission cross sections was estimated. The well-known intermediate structure in the cross section for the neutron-induced subbarrier fission of ²³⁶U was confirmed.     

Angular Distributions and Anisotropy of the Fragments from Neutron-Induced Fission of <Superscript>239</Superscript>Pu and <Superscript>nat</Superscript>Pb in the Energy Range of 1–200 MeV

The angular distributions of fragments from the neutron-induced fission of ^natPb and ²³⁹Pu nuclei have been measured in the energy of range 1–200 MeV using the neutron time-of-flight spectrometer GNEIS. Fission fragments have been detected by position sensitive multiwire proportional counters. The results for the anisotropy of fission fragments deduced from the measured angular distributions have been presented. The results have been compared with the experimental data of other authors.     

Nuclear-charge polarization at scission in the 12 MeV proton-induced fission of <Superscript>232</Superscript>Th

The most probable charges of secondary fragments, produced after neutron evaporation from primary fragments, have been evaluated using fractional cumulative and mass yields in the 12MeV proton-induced fission of ²³²Th . The nuclear-charge polarization of primary fragments at scission has been obtained by correcting the most probable charge of secondary fragments for neutron evaporation. The fragment mass dependence of the nuclear-charge polarization at scission shows good agreement with that for thermal neutron-induced fission of ²³⁵U , indicating that the nuclear-charge polarization is nearly insensitive to mass and excitation energy of the fissioning nucleus for asymmetric fission in the actinide region.     

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.     

Symmetric and asymmetric fission of 226Ra induced by 5 to 15 MeV neutrons

Kinetic energy spectra of fragments in the 5–15 MeV neutron-induced fission of ²²⁶Ra are obtained. The fraction of fragments corresponding to the central peak of the mass yield curve is determined for each neutron energy used. It is shown that at low excitation energies of the ²²⁷Ra compound nucleus precluding second-chance fission the mass yield curve retains its triple-peaked nature. At still lower excitations, near the fission threshold, radium undergoes asymmetric fission, just as the heavier nuclei.     

Radiochemical investigation of the mass distribution and probability in stopped μ− induced fission of 238U

Radiochemical measurements of 24 fission products show that the mass-split is asymmetric in stopped μ^? induced fission of ²³⁸U. The mass distribution is similar to 14 MeV neutron-induced fission. The main difference is a smaller peak-to-valley ratio no point indicating a mean excitation energy of about 20 MeV. The fission probability (prompt and delayed) is 0.15 ± 0.03 per stopped muon.     

Inelastic deuteron breakup followed by fission at intermediate energy

The results of experimental and theoretical studies of the double-differential proton and neutron spectra measured in coincidence with fission fragments in the deuteron-induced reaction on a ²³⁸U target at E _d =65 MeV are presented. These spectra measured in the forward direction are analyzed in the plane-wave Born approximation by using the modified model of stripping into a continuum. The pre-neutron emission fission fragment mass distributions were measured for the (d, f), (d, pf), and (d, nf) reaction channels. The enhancement of highly asymmetric mass division in the (d, pf) channel for the low-energy part of the breakup proton spectrum was observed. The (d, pf) channel can be used to imitate the neutron-induced fission at intermediate energy. The fission characteristics were analyzed in the model taking into account nuclear friction and relevant fission modes.     

Search for the emission of π<Superscript>0</Superscript> mesons from the neutron-induced fission of <Superscript>235</Superscript>U nuclei

A nuclear-reactor experiment on the search for the emission of neutral pions from the neutron-induced fission of ²³⁵U nuclei has been carried out. To this end, an experimental setup for searching for the emission of π⁰ mesons with high sensitivity to this process has been designed and produced. This setup consisted of two Cherenkov total-absorption spectrometers for the detection and measurements of the energy of two gamma-ray photons from π ⁰-meson decay. The spectrometers were placed at the exits of two coaxial horizontal experimental channels. To protect the detectors from low-energy β and γ rays and neutron fluxes, 3.5-m-long water filters were situated in the channels. To reject the cosmic background, large-area scintillation counters operating in the anticoincidence mode were placed over each spectrometer. The energy and time resolution of the spectrometers, as well as the efficiency of detecting charged particles by scintillation counters, were tested on the secondary electron beam of the Tomsk electron synchrotron Sirius. Runs of measurements of the effect on the operating reactor (duration of 805 h) were alternated with runs of measurements of background on the stopped reactor (duration of 403 h). Statistical processing of the experimental results yields an upper limit of ≤5.3×10 ^?12 with a 90% confidence level for the probability of the emission of neutral pions from the neutron-induced fission of ²³⁵U nuclei. This result and results of other works carried out with sources of spontaneously fissioning ²⁵²Cf nuclei show that the probabilities of the emission of π⁰ mesons from spontaneous fission and fission induced by fission-spectrum neutrons are equal to each other.     

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.     

Mass distribution in the bremsstrahlung-induced fission of Th,U and Pu

The yields of various fission products in the 10 MeV bremsstrahlung-induced fission of ²³²Th, ²³⁸U and ²⁴⁰Pu were determined using a recoil catcher and off-line γ-ray spectrometric techniques. From the yield data, mass yield distributions were obtained using charge distribution corrections. The higher yields of fission products around mass numbers 133–135, 138–140, 143–145 and their complementary products in the neutron and bremsstrahlung-induced fission of ²³²Th, ²³⁸U and ²⁴⁰Pu were interpreted based on nuclear structure effects. From the mass yield distribution, the peak-to-valley (P/V$P/V$) ratio was also obtained for the above fissioning systems. The present data, along with data from the literature on different bremsstrahlung- and mono-energetic neutron-induced fissions of ²³²Th and ²³⁸U are interpreted to examine the influence of excitation energy on the peak to valley ratio. For the same compound nucleus ²⁴⁰Pu^?, the data in the 10–30 MeV bremsstrahlung-induced fission of ²⁴⁰Pu were compared with similar data of thermal to 14 MeV neutron-induced fission of ²³⁹Pu and the spontaneous fission of ²⁴⁰Pu to examine the role of excitation energy due to bremsstrahlung radiation and mono-energetic neutrons.     

Nucleon momentum and density distributions of nuclei

The time dependent Hartee-Fock-BCS code used to study¹¹⁸Pd+¹¹⁸Pd has been extended to study²³⁸U +²³⁸U at 7.5 MeV/A, in three dimensions, in order to look for the fission of the residual nuclei. Two impact parameters corresponding toL _in=150,300 ? are considered. 69 orbits are included in the effective charge quartet model. The energy loss and deflection angle are compatible with the available data and correspond to cases where fission of the residual system is observed experimentally. No fast fission of the final U fragment is predicted, but new details about clutching time, interaction times, dissipation times and other properties of the reaction mechanism such as neck dynamics, are obtained. No surface vibrations are seen.     

Correlation between fractional independent yields and neutron-to-proton ratio of fission products in low energy fission

Fractional independent yields of fission products in the thermal neutron-induced fission of²³³U,²³⁵U,²³⁹Pu,²⁴¹Pu and in the spontaneous fission of²⁵²Cf have been correlated with the neutron-to-proton ratio of the fission products. The yields of the products from a fissioning system, when plotted as a function of neutron-to-proton (N/Z) ratio of fission preducts, fall on two Gaussian distribution corresponding to light and heavy fission products. The centroids of the distribution or the most probable value of neutron-to-proton ratio is found to be very close to theN/Z of the fissioning nucleus. From the most probable value ofN/Z the various parameters of charge distribution e.g. most probable massA _p, most probable chargeZ _p, the mass dispersionσ _Aand the charge dispersionσ _Zhave been obtained and are in good agreement with the experimental values ofA _pandZ _p.     

Yields of products from fast neutron-induced fission of 233U measured by means of an isotope separator on-line (ISOL) system

A comprehensive study has been carried out of the yield pattern of fission products formed in fast neutron-induced fission of ²³³U. The isotope separator on-line facility at Studsvik to the R2-0 nuclear reactor was used for rapid separation of the fission products. At a target temperature of 2250 ^°C fission products of the elements from zinc (Z = 30) to barium (Z = 56) are released, with the exception of yttrium, zirconium, niobium, molybdenum, technetium, ruthenium and rhodium. The individual isotopes are then available for study, implying that an almost complete mapping of the yield distribution can be made. In the analysis, the delay between production and measurement and the overall separator efficiency for three consecutive elements (the one under study and its parent and grand parent) are taken into account. Independent and/or cumulative yields have been obtained for 203 nuclear species, among them 59 isomeric states. Received: 19 April 2000 / Accepted: 19 June 2000     

Hyperdeformed states in the third minimum of the fission potential

The fission probability and the angular distribution of the associated fission fragments have been measured for the²³⁵U(d, pf)²³⁶U reaction slightly above the top of the inner fission barrier with the aim of disclosing new hyperdeformed states lying in the third minimum of the fission potential. The results are analyzed together with the data obtained from the literature for²³⁴U. The experimental resonances are interpreted as being rotational bands with rotational parameters of ?/2Θ=1.6±0.6 and 1.8±0,8 keV for²³⁴U and²³⁶U, respectively. TheK=1, 2 and 4 values of the resonances suggest that these rotational bands are built on some higher-lying excited states in the third minimum of the potential well.     

Long-range alpha emission inP-wave neutron induced fission of235U

The yield and energy distribution of long-range alpha-particles (lra) emitted from neutron-induced fission of²³⁵U have been measured at neutron energies; thermal, 125±12, 155±11, 185±10, 210±9, 240±9, 365±50 and 480±45 keV. The long-range alpha-particles were detected in cellulose nitrate track detector foils. Results showed an increase of about 50% in the yield at neutron energies in the region 150 keV≤E _n≤220 keV as compared to that of thermal neutrons. A calculation has been carried out to extract thelra to binary fission ratio forp-wave neutron induced fission.