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.     

Fission-fragment energy correlation measurements for 252Cf(sf) and structures in far-out asymmetric fission

Fragment-mass and kinetic-energy distribution measurements for ²⁵²Cf(sf) have been extended to the far-out asymmetric low-yield fission region of M_H = 190 compared with the existing data that go up to M_H ≈ 168. The mass yield Y(m) shows a shoulder for M_H ≈ 163 and an important enhancement for M_H ? 176. The 〈E_K〉(m), σ_EK(m) and, to a lesser extent, Y(m) distributions show strong and correlated amplitude fluctuations for M_H ? 170. These data indicate strong and rapid changes in deformation of the nascent fragments and the coexistence of more than one deformed-shell stabilized scission configuration for the same mass splits. These structures and those present in the relatively high-yield regions are discussed in terms of the static macro-microscopic potential-energy calculations.     

Water dynamics in ionomer membranes by field-cycling NMR relaxometry

The dynamic behavior of water within two types of ionomer membranes, Nafion and sulfonated polyimide, has been investigated by field-cycling nuclear magnetic relaxation. This technique, applied to materials prepared at different hydration levels, allows the proton motion on a time scale of microseconds to be probed. The NMR longitudinal relaxation rate R(1) measured over three decades of Larmor angular frequencies omega is particularly sensitive to the host-water interactions and thus well-suited to study fluid dynamics in restricted geometries. In the polyimide membranes, we have observed a strong dispersion of R(1)(omega) following closely a 1/square root omega law in a low-frequency range (correlation times from 0.1 to 10 micros). This is indicative of a strong interaction of water with "interfacial" hydrophilic groups of the polymeric matrix (wetting situation). Variations of the relaxation rates with water uptake reveal a two-step hydration process: solvation and formation of disconnected aqueous clusters near polar groups, followed by the formation of a continuous hydrogen bond network. On the contrary, in the Nafion we observed weak variations of R(1)(omega) at low frequencies. This is typical of a nonwetting behavior. At early hydration stages, R(1)(omega) evolves logarithmically, suggesting a confined bidimensional diffusion of protons in the microsecond time range. Such an evolution is lost at higher swelling where a plateau related to three-dimensional diffusion is observed.