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Angular momentum of fission fragments from microscopic theory

Journal Article · · Physical Review. C
 [1];  [1];  [2];  [3]
  1. Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States). Nuclear and Chemical Sciences Division
  2. Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Nuclear Science Division
  3. Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States). Nuclear and Chemical Sciences Division; Univ. of California, Davis, CA (United States). Physics and Astronomy Dept.
During nuclear fission, a heavy nucleus splits into two rotating fragments. The associated angular momentum is large, yet the mechanism of its generation and its dependence on the mass of fragments remain poorly understood. In this Letter, we provide the first microscopic calculations of angular-momentum distributions in fission fragments for a wide range of fragment masses. For the benchmark case of 239Pu(nth,f), we find that the angular momentum of the fragments is largely determined by the nuclear shell structure and deformation, and that the heavy fragments therefore typically carry less angular momentum than their light partners. We use the fission model freya to simulate the emission of neutrons and photons from the fragments. The dependence of the angular momenta on fragment mass after the emission of neutrons and statistical photons is linear for the heavy fragments and either constant or weakly linear for the light fragments, consistent with the universal sawtooth pattern suggested by recent experimental data. Finally, we observe that using microscopic angular-momentum distributions modifies the number of emitted photons significantly.
Research Organization:
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC52-07NA27344
OSTI ID:
1812562
Report Number(s):
LLNL-JRNL--818187; 1028361
Journal Information:
Physical Review. C, Journal Name: Physical Review. C Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 104; ISSN 2469-9985
Publisher:
American Physical Society (APS)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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