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.