• Energy Research

During the last decade spallation-induced fission reactions have received particular attention because of their impact in the design of spallation-neutron sources or radioactive beam facilities, but also in the understanding of the fission process at high excitation energy. In this paper, we review the main progress brought by modern experimental techniques, in particular those based in the inverse kinematic, as well as the achievements in modelling these reactions. We will also address future possibilities for improving the investigation of fission dynamics.

Total fission cross sections of Pb-208 induced by protons have been determined at 370A, 500A, and 650A MeV. The experiment was performed at GSI Darmstadt where the combined use of the inverse kinematics technique with an efficient detection setup allowed us to determine these cross sections with an uncertainty below 6%. This result was achieved by an accurate beam selection and registration of both fission fragments in coincidence which were also clearly distinguished from other reaction channels. These data solve existing discrepancies between previous measurements, providing new values for the Prokofiev systematics. The data also allow us to investigate the fission process at high excitation energies and small deformations. In particular, some fundamental questions about fission dynamics have been addressed, which are related to dissipative and transient time effects.

New measurements of very exotic nuclei in the neutron-rich region beyond N=126 have been performed at the GSI facility with the fragment separator (FRS). The aim of the experiment is to determine half-lives and beta-delayed neutron emission branching ratios of isotopes of Hg, Tl and Pb in this region. This contribution summarizes final counting statistics for identification and for implantation, as well as the present status of the data analysis of the half-lives. In summary, isotopes of Pt, Au, Hg, Ti, Pb, Bi, Po, At, Rn and Fr were clearly identified and several of them (Hg208-211, Tl211-215, Pb214-218) were implanted with enough statistics to determine their half-lives. About half of them are expected to be neutron emitters, in such cases it will become possible to obtain the neutron emission probabilities, P-n.

A complete kinematics measurement of the two fission fragments was used for the first time to investigate fission dynamics at small and large deformations. Fissioning systems with high excitation energies, compact shapes, and low angular momenta were produced in inverse kinematics by using spallation reactions of lead projectiles. A new generation experimental setup allowed for the first full and unambiguous identification in mass and atomic number of both fission fragments. This measurement permitted us to accurately determine fission cross sections, the charge distribution, and the neutron excess of the fission fragments as a function of the atomic number of the fissioning system. These data are compared with different model calculations to extract information on the value of the dissipation parameter at small and large deformations. The present results do not show any sizable dependence of the nuclear dissipation parameter on temperature or deformation.

The two fragments produced in fission reactions induced by Pb208 projectiles impinging on a liquid hydrogen target at 500AMeV have been fully identified in coincidence. The experiment was performed at GSI Darmstadt, where the combined use of the inverse kinematics technique with an efficient detection setup permitted one to detect and to fully identify the fission fragments in a range from Z=27 to Z=52. The corresponding isotopic cross sections and velocities of the fission fragments were measured with high accuracy. The results are compared to state-of-the-art model calculations that reproduce the measured observables. Correlations between the two fragments were used to assess the role of charge polarization and the excitation energy gained by the nascent fragments using the neutron excess of the final fragments. The analysis of the average velocities of the fission fragments allowed us to parametrize the distance between the two fission fragments at scission as a function of the size of the fissioning system.

Light charged particles emitted in proton-induced fission reactions on Pb-208 have been measured at different kinetic energies: 370A, 500A, and 650A MeV. The experiment was performed by the SOFIA Collaboration at the GSI facilities in Darmstadt (Germany). The inverse kinematics technique was combined with a setup especially designed to measure light charged particles in coincidence with fission fragments. This measurement allowed us, for the first time, to obtain correlations between the light charged particles emitted during the fission process and the charge distributions of the fission fragments. These correlations were compared with different model calculations to assess the ground-to-saddle dynamics. The results confirm that transient and dissipative effects are required for an accurate description of the fission observables.