No Arabic abstract
The fission-fragment mass and total kinetic energy (TKE) distributions are evaluated in a quantum mechanical framework using elongation, mass asymmetry, neck degree of freedom as the relevant collective parameters in the Fourier shape parametrization recently developed by us. The potential energy surfaces (PES) are calculated within the macroscopic-microscopic model based on the Lublin-Strasbourg Drop (LSD), the Yukawa-folded (YF) single-particle potential and a monopole pairing force. The PES are presented and analysed in detail for even-even Plutonium isotopes with $A=236 -246$. They reveal deep asymmetric valleys. The fission-fragment mass and TKE distributions are obtained from the ground state of a collective Hamiltonian computed within the Born-Oppenheimer approximation, in the WKB approach by introducing a neck-dependent fission probability. The calculated mass and total kinetic energydistributions are found in good agreement with the data.
Fission-fragment mass and total-kinetic-energy (TKE) distributions following fission of even-even nuclides in the region $74 leq Z leq 126$ and $92 leq N leq 230$, comprising 896 nuclides have been calculated using the Brownian shape-motion method. The emphasis is the region of superheavy nuclei. To show compatibility with earlier results the calculations are extended to include earlier studied regions. An island of asymmetric fission is obtained in the superheavy region, $106leq Zleq114$ and $162leq Nleq 176$, where the heavy fragment is found to be close to $^{208}$Pb and the light fragment adjusts accordingly. Most experimentally observed $alpha$-decay chains of superheavy nuclei with $Z > 113 $ terminate by spontaneous fission in our predicted region of asymmetric fission. In these cases, the pronounced large asymmetry is accompanied by a low TKE value compatible with measurements.
Random walks on five-dimensional potential-energy surfaces were recently found to yield fission-fragment mass distributions that are in remarkable agreement with experimental data. Within the framework of the Smoluchowski equation of motion, which is appropriate for highly dissipative evolutions, we discuss the physical justification for that treatment and investigate the sensitivity of the resulting mass yields to a variety of model ingredients, including in particular the dimensionality and discretization of the shape space and the structure of the dissipation tensor. The mass yields are found to be relatively robust, suggesting that the simple random walk presents a useful calculational tool. Quantitatively refined results can be obtained by including physically plausible forms of the dissipation, which amounts to simulating the Brownian shape motion in an anisotropic medium.
Although nuclear fission can be understood qualitatively as an evolution of the nuclear shape, a quantitative description has proven to be very elusive. In particular, until now, there exists no model with demonstrated predictive power for the fission fragment mass yields. Exploiting the expected strongly damped character of nuclear dynamics, we treat the nuclear shape evolution in analogy with Brownian motion and perform random walks on five-dimensional fission potential-energy surfaces which were calculated previously and are the most comprehensive available. Test applications give good reproduction of highly variable experimental mass yields. This novel general approach requires only a single new global parameter, namely the critical neck size at which the mass split is frozen in, and the results are remarkably insensitive to its specific value.
The fission fragment mass distributions have been measured in the reactions 16O + 184W and 19F+ 181Ta populating the same compound nucleus 200Pb? at similar excitation energies. It is found that the widths of the mass distribution increases monotonically with excitation energy, indicating the absence of quasi-fission for both reactions. This is contrary to two recent claims of the presence of quasi-fission in the above mentioned reactions.
The mass and kinetic energy distribution of nuclear fragments from thermal neutron induced fission of 235U have been studied using a Monte-Carlo simulation. Besides reproducing the pronounced broadening on the standard deviation of the final fragment kinetic energy distribution $sigma_{e}(m)$ around the mass number m = 109, our simulation also produces a second broadening around m = 125, that is in agreement with the experimental data obtained by Belhafaf et al. These results are consequence of the characteristics of the neutron emission, the variation in the primary fragment mean kinetic energy and the yield as a function of the mass.