Manifestation of pairing effects in the cross section for 238Pu fission induced by neutrons

The cross section for ²³⁸Pu fission induced by neutrons with energies between 1 keV and about 5 MeV is described within the statistical model. It is shown that the stepwise structure observed above the fission threshold (at incident-neutron energies of Es>1 MeV) is due to the step in the level density of the fissile ²³⁹Pu nucleus at deformations corresponding to the inner fission barrier. In turn, the step in the level density of the odd nucleus ²³⁹Pu is associated with the excitation of internal single-and three-quasiparticle states. The level density is described with allowance for collective, pairing, and shell effects.