Scission Deformation of the ^{120}Cd/^{132}Sn Neutronless Fragmentation in ^{252}Cf(sf).
PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2024;
132:142501. [PMID:
38640393 DOI:
10.1103/physrevlett.132.142501]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 02/29/2024] [Indexed: 04/21/2024]
Abstract
We report on a study of the radiative decay of fission fragments populated via neutronless fission of ^{252}Cf(sf). Applying the double-energy method a perfect mass identification is achieved for these rare events. In the specific case of the ^{120}Cd/^{132}Sn cold fragmentation, we find that ^{132}Sn is produced in its ground state. We can therefore directly measure the excitation energy of the complementary fragment, ^{120}Cd. The reproduction of the γ-ray spectrum, measured in coincidence with the neutronless fission events, is sensitive to the angular momentum distribution of the studied primary fragment. The latter estimated using a time-dependent collective Hamiltonian model, allows us to constrain for the first time the deformation (β_{2}≃0.4) of the studied fission fragment at scission. The present work demonstrates the high potential of the understudied neutronless fission channel for extracting detailed information on both fission fragments and process.
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