Evidence for a New Compact Symmetric Fission Mode in Light Thorium Isotopes
Journal article, 2020
Taking benefit of the R3B/SOFIA setup to measure the mass and the nuclear charge of both fission fragments in coincidence with the total prompt-neutron multiplicity, the scission configurations are inferred along the thorium chain, from the asymmetric fission in the heavier isotopes to the symmetric fission in the neutron-deficient thorium. Against all expectations, the symmetric scission in the light thorium isotopes shows a compact configuration, which is in total contrast to what is known in the fission of the heavier thorium isotopes and heavier actinides. This new main symmetric scission mode is characterized by a significant drop in deformation energy of the fission fragments of about 19 MeV, compared to the well-known symmetric scission in the uranium-plutonium region.
Author
A. Chatillon
University Paris-Saclay
The French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA)
J. Taieb
University Paris-Saclay
The French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA)
H. Alvarez-Pol
Universidade de Santiagode Compostela
L. Audouin
Institut de Physique Nucleaire Orsay
Y. Ayyad
Universidade de Santiagode Compostela
G. Belier
The French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA)
University Paris-Saclay
J. Benlliure
Universidade de Santiagode Compostela
G. Boutoux
The French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA)
M. Caamano
Universidade de Santiagode Compostela
E. Casarejos
University of Vigo
D. Cortina-Gil
Universidade de Santiagode Compostela
A. Ebran
University Paris-Saclay
The French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA)
F. Farget
Grand Accélérateur National d'Ions Lourds (GANIL)
B. Fernandez-Dominguez
Universidade de Santiagode Compostela
T. Gorbinet
The French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA)
L. Grente
The French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA)
Andreas Martin Heinz
Chalmers, Physics, Subatomic, High Energy and Plasma Physics
Håkan T Johansson
Chalmers, Physics, Subatomic, High Energy and Plasma Physics
B. Jurado
Centre d'Etudes Nucleaires de Bordeaux Gradignan
A. Kelic-Heil
Helmholtz
N. Kurz
Helmholtz
B. Laurent
The French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA)
University Paris-Saclay
J. F. Martin
The French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA)
C. Nociforo
Helmholtz
C. Paradela
Universidade de Santiagode Compostela
E. Pellereau
The French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA)
S. Pietri
Helmholtz
A. Prochazka
Helmholtz
J. L. Rodriguez-Sanchez
Universidade de Santiagode Compostela
D. Rossi
Helmholtz
H. Simon
Helmholtz
L. Tassan-Got
Institut de Physique Nucleaire Orsay
J. Vargas
Universidade de Santiagode Compostela
B. Voss
Helmholtz
H. Weick
Helmholtz
Physical Review Letters
0031-9007 (ISSN) 1079-7114 (eISSN)
Vol. 124 20 202502Subject Categories
Accelerator Physics and Instrumentation
Subatomic Physics
Other Physics Topics
DOI
10.1103/PhysRevLett.124.202502