Excitation energy propagation and angular momentum generation in the nuclear fission process
Sammendrag
The nuclear fission process, in which the splitting of a heavy nucleus results in a significant energy release, is a fascinating arena for studying the interplay between nuclear and Coulomb forces in heavy nuclei. There is no complete theoretical description of fission, and understanding this intricate process is important both for fundamental science as well as nuclear reactor applications. This thesis studies how the excitation energy and the angular momentum of the fission fragments are determined and which aspects of fission might impact this determination. These questions are investigated experimentally by introducing changes to the fissioning system and observing the impact on the 𝛾 rays emitted from the fragments as they de-excite. Different experimental techniques are used to probe various features of the 𝛾-ray emission, and the results represent important steps forward in understanding angular momentum generation and excitation energy propagation in nuclear fission.Artikkelliste
Paper I. Excitation energy dependence of prompt fission γ-ray emission from 241Pu∗. D. Gjestvang, S. Siem, F. Zeiser, J. Randrup, R. Vogt, J. N. Wilson, F. Bello-Garrote, L. A. Bernstein, D. L. Bleuel, M. Guttormsen, A. Görgen, A. C. Larsen, K. L. Malatji, E. F. Matthews, A. Oberstedt, S. Oberstedt, T. Tornyi, G. M. Tveten, and A. S. Voyles. Phys. Rev. C, 103, 034609 (2021). doi: 10.1103/PhysRevC.103.034609. The article is included in the thesis. Also available at: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.103.034609 |
Paper II. Angular momentum generation in nuclear fission. Wilson, J.N., Thisse, D., Lebois, M. et al. Nature 590, 566–570 (2021). doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03304-w. The article is included in the thesis with permission from Springer Nature. Also available at: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-03304-w |
Paper III. What impacts the isomeric yield ratios of fission fragments? D. Gjestvang, J.N. Wilson, A. Al-Adili et al. To be published. The paper is not available in DUO awaiting publishing. |