From ground state to fission fragments: A complex, multi-dimensional multi-path problem
- Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Tokai, Ibaraki (Japan)
- Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States)
- Lawrence Berkeley Lab., CA (United States)
Experimental results on the fission properties of nuclei close to {sup 264}Fm show sudden and large changes with a change of only one or two neutrons or protons. The nucleus {sup 258}Fm, for instance, undergoes symmetric fission with a half-life of about 0.4 ms and a kinetic-energy distribution peaked at about 235 MeV whereas {sup 256}Fm undergoes asymmetric fission with a half-life of about 3 h and a kinetic-energy distribution peaked at about 200 MeV. Qualitatively, these sudden changes have been postulated to be due to the emergence of fragment shells in symmetric-fission products close to {sup 132}Sn. Here we present a quantitative calculation that shows where high-kinetic-energy symmetric fusion occurs and why it is associated with a sudden and large decrease in fission half-lives. We base our study on calculations of potential-energy surfaces in the macroscopic-microscopic model and a semi-empirical model for the nuclear inertia. We use the three-quadratic-surface parameterization to generate the shapes for which the potential-energy surfaces are calculated. The use of this parameterization and the use of the finite-range macroscopic model allows for the study of two touching spheres and similar shapes. Since these shapes are thought to correspond to the scission shapes for the high-kinetic-energy events it is of crucial importance that a continuous sequence of shapes leading from the nuclear ground state to these configurations can be studied within the framework of the model. We present the results of the calculations in terms of potential-energy surfaces and fission half-lives for heavy even nuclei. The surfaces are displayed in the form of contour diagrams as functions of two moments of the shape. They clearly show the appearance of a second fission valley, which leads to scission configurations close to tow touching spheres, for fissioning systems in the vicinity of {sup 264}Fm.
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-36
- OSTI ID:
- 10126806
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR-92-578; CONF-920192-1; ON: DE92008488
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Specialists` meeting on physics and engineering of fission,Osaka (Japan),7 Jan 1992; Other Information: PBD: [1992]
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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