The Fission of thorium with Alpha Particles
Soon after the discovery of fission, Meitner, Bretscher and Cook found differences in the decay of various chemical fractions separated from uranium irradiated with slow neutrons and thorium irradiated with fast neutrons respectively and suggested that a difference existed in the distribution of fission products in the two cases. In 1940, Turner suggested that the distribution in various modes of fission should be investigated. The fact that elements such as tin, cadmium, palladium, and silver were found in fast neutron and deuteron fission of uranium and thorium before they were found in slow neutron fission of uranium suggested that the middle region of the distribution was raised as the energy of the incident particle was increased. Since the compound nucleus formed in the fission of thorium with alpha particles is U{sup 236}, the same compound nucleus formed in the fission of U{sup 235} with neutrons, it is of interest to study the fission of thorium with alphas and compare the resulting distribution of fission products with that found with uranium with slow and thorium with fast neutrons. Any difference between the various results where the same compound nucleus is formed must be due to differences in energy content and possible differences in distribution of the nucleons in the compound nucleus at the time of fission.
- Research Organization:
- Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA (US)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- Physics Division
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC02-05CH11231
- OSTI ID:
- 978601
- Report Number(s):
- UCRL-83-Rev
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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