Yu. N. Kopach

Collinear cluster tripartition channel in the reaction 235U(nth, f)

Investigation of the 235U(nth, f) reaction using the miniFOBOS double-arm time-of-flight spectrometer of fission fragments confirmed manifestations of the earlier unknown many-body, at least ternary, decay involving almost collinear decay-product escape, which were first observed in the spontaneous fission of 252Cf(sf). The use of variables sensitive to the nuclear charge of fission fragments allowed the reliability of identification of decay events to be increased and new decay modes to be revealed.

Angular distribution of 4.43-MeV γ-rays produced in inelastic scattering of 14.1-MeV neutrons by 12C nuclei

The work is devoted to measuring the angular distribution of 4.43-MeV γ-rays produced in inelastic scattering of 14.1-MeV neutrons by 12C nuclei. A portable ING-27 neutron generator (designed and fabricated at VNIIA, Moscow) with a built-in 64-pixel silicon α-detector was used as a source of tagged neutrons. The γ-rays of characteristic nuclear radiation from 12C were detected with a spectrometric system that consisted of 22 γ-detectors based on NaI(Tl) crystals arranged around the carbon target. The measured angular distribution of 4.43-MeV γ-rays is analyzed and compared with the results of other published experimental works.

Effects of rotation of fissioning nuclei in the angular distributions of prompt neutrons and gamma rays originating from the polarized-neutron-induced fission of 233U and 235U nuclei

The results of an experiment devoted to searches for effects of rotation of fissioning nuclei in the angular distributions of prompt neutrons and gamma rays originating from the polarized-neutron-induced fission of 233U nuclei are presented. The effects discovered in these angular distributions are opposite in sign to their counterparts in the polarized-neutron-induced fission of 235U nuclei. This is at odds with data on the relative signs of respective effects in the angular distribution of alpha particles from the ternary fission of the same nuclei and may be indicative of problems in the model currently used to describe the effect in question. The report on which this article is based was presented at the seminar held at the Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Physics and dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the birth of Yu.G. Abov, corresponding member of Russian Academy of Sciences, Editor in Chief of the journal Physics of Atomic Nuclei.

T-odd angular correlations in the emission of prompt gamma rays and neutrons in nuclear fission induced by polarized neutrons

Study of the T-odd three-vector correlation in the emission of prompt neutrons from 235U fission by polarized cold neutrons has been continued at the facility MEPHISTO of the FRM II reactor (Technical University of Munich). The sought correlation was not found within experimental error of 2.3 × 10−5. The upper limit for the asymmetry coefficient has been set to |Dn| < 6 × 10−5 at 99% confidence level, whereas for ternary fission correlation coefficient Dα = (170±20) × 10−5. This limit casts doubt on a model that explains the three-vector correlation in ternary fission by the Coriolis mechanism. At the same time, five-vector correlation in the emission of prompt fission neutrons has been measured, which describes the rotation of the fissioning nucleus at the moment it breaks (ROT effect). At the angle 22.5° to the fission axis, the correlation coefficient was found to be (1.57 ± 0.20) × 10−4, while at the angle of 67.5° it is zero within the experimental uncertainty. The existence of ROT effect in the emission of prompt fission neutrons can be explained by the anisotropy of neutron emission in the rest frame of the fragment (fission fragments are aligned with respect to the axis of deformation of the fissioning nucleus), similar to the mechanism of ROT effect in the emission of prompt γ-rays.

Experimental Studies of Nuclear Fission Dynamics Near the Scission Point

Conditions for formation of angular and energy distributions of light particles emitted in ternary fission of 233, 235U, 239Pu, and 245Cm nuclei induced by cold polarized neutrons have been studied in the course of investigating T-odd asymmetry in emission of these particles with respect to the plane formed by the fission axis and the polarization axis of the fissioning nucleus. The results obtained lead to the conclusion that in ternary fission charged particles are emitted by the fissioning nuclear system rotating around the polarization direction.

Searching for Rare Decay Modes in the Reaction 238U+4He (40 MeV)

In the present paper we describe an experiment performed on the reaction 238U + 4He (40 MeV) using a two‐arm TOF‐E (time‐of‐flight vs. energy) spectrometer with micro‐ channel plate detectors and mosaics of PIN diodes. This experiment has aimed at searching for fine structures in the total kinetic energy vs. fragment mass (TKE ‐ M) distributions of binary events, and disclosing rare ternary decay modes others than already known from ternary fission. Details of the procedures of data handling are briefly described as well.

Investigations of fission characteristics and correlation effects

We review the experimental results on the P-even and P-odd angular correlations of fission fragments in the fission of the 235U and 239Pu nuclei induced by unpolarized and polarized resonance neutrons, and on the TRI and ROT effects in the ternary and binary fission of actinides induced by polarized thermal neutrons. Also reported are the measured yields of prompt and delayed neutrons per fission event. The experimental data are analyzed within a novel theoretical framework developed by the JINR—RNC KI Collaboration, whereby the reduction of the multidimensional phase space of fission fragments to the JπK-channel space is consistently validated and the role of resonance interference in the observed correlation effects is revealed.

Determination of Moisture Content in Coke with 239 Pu–Be Neutron Source and BGO Scintillation Gamma Detector

A series of experiments has been conducted at the Frank Laboratory of Neutron Physics (FLNP) of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR) in order to study the possibility of determining the moisture content of coke using a standard neutron source. The proposed method is based on a measurement of the spectrum of prompt γ rays emitted when samples are irradiated by fast and/or thermal neutrons. The moisture content is determined from the area of the peaks of characteristic γ rays produced in the radiative capture of thermal neutrons by the proton (Eγ = 2.223 MeV) and inelastic scattering of fast neutrons by 16O (Eγ = 6.109 MeV). The 239Pu–Be neutron source (〈E n 〉 ~ 4.5 MeV) with an intensity of ~5 × 106 n/s was used to irradiate the samples under study. A scintillation detector based on a BGO crystal was used to register the characteristic γ radiation from the inelastic fast neutron scattering and slow (thermal) neutron capture. This paper presents the results of humidity measurement in the range of 2–50% [1, 2].

Experiments with massive uranium targets - on the way to technologies for Relativistic Nuclear Energy

It is considered an essentially new scheme of the electro-nuclear method - nuclear relativistic technologies (RNT). This is based on the formation and use an extremely hard neutron spectrum inside deep subcritical active core. It is shown that the development and application of RNT may be promising for solving the problem of utilization of spent nuclear fuel and the global challenges of energy. The results of the first experiments carried out at JINR indicate a validity of the basic principles of RNT, in particular, doubling the gain of the power of the deuteron beam, irradiating the massive (315 kg) uranium target, with increasing the beam energy from 1 to 4 GeV.

Effects of T-odd asymmetry of the emission of light charged particles and photons during fission of heavy nuclei by polarized neutrons

The new physical effects of T-odd asymmetry of the emission of light charged particles (LCPs) during the ternary fission of some heavy nuclei by cold polarized neutrons have been experimentally studied. The coefficients of triple scalar and vector correlation of the pulses of light particles and fission fragments (TRI effect) and the fivefold correlation of the same vectors (ROT effect) have been measured. These effects are believed to be caused by the rotation of polarized fissioning system around its polarization direction. The treatment of the experimental data for LCPs in the framework of this hypothesis leads to a good agreement between the calculation results and experimental data. The calculated value of the angle of rotation of the fission axis in the ternary fission of the polarized fissioning 236U* compound nucleus was used to process the results of measuring the ROT effect for γ photons from binary-fission fragments of the same nucleus. A satisfactory description of these experimental data is obtained which serves a convincing confirmation of the rotation hypothesis.