When a heavy atomic nucleus splits (fission), the resulting fragments are observed to emerge spinning 1 ; this phenomenon has been a mystery in nuclear physics for over 40 years 2,3 . The internal generation of six or seven units of angular momentum in each fragment is particularly puzzling for systems that start with zero, or almost zero, spin. There are currently no experimental observations that enable decisive discrimination between the many competing theories for the mechanism that generates the angular momentum [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12] . Nevertheless, the consensus is that excitation of collective vibrational modes generates the intrinsic spin before the nucleus splits (pre-scission). Here we show that there is no significant correlation between the spins of the fragment partners, which leads us to conclude that angular momentum in fission is actually generated after the nucleus splits (post-scission). We present comprehensive data showing that the average spin is strongly mass-dependent, varying in saw-tooth distributions. We observe no notable dependence of fragment spin on the mass or charge of the partner nucleus, confirming the uncorrelated post-scission nature of the spin mechanism. To explain these observations, we propose that the collective motion of nucleons in the ruptured neck of the fissioning system generates two independent torques, analogous to the snapping of an elastic band. A parameterization based on occupation of angular momentum states according to statistical theory describes the full range of experimental data well. This insight into the role of spin in nuclear fission is not only important for the fundamental understanding and theoretical description of fission, but also has consequences for the γ-ray heating problem in nuclear reactors 13,14 , for the study of the structure of neutron-rich isotopes 15,16 , and for the synthesis and stability of super-heavy elements 17,18 .

HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific research documents, whether they are published or not. The documents may come from teaching and research institutions in France or abroad, or from public or private research centers. L'archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, émanant des établissements d'enseignement et de recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires publics ou privés.

Cosmic-ray muons can be used for imaging of large structures, or high-density objects with high atomic number. The first task can be performed by measurement of muon absorption within very thick material layers, while the second approach is based on muon multiple scattering. However, the muon imaging of small structures with low atomic number and density was not yet solved appropriately. Here we show the first results of cosmic-ray muon imaging of small objects made of elements of low atomic number. This novel approach includes detection of secondary particles produced by muons, which were not used at all in previous muon imaging methods. Thus, the list of elements, as well as the range of dimensions of objects which can be imaged are significantly expanded.

No abstract

No abstract

Re reactions were performed in the energy range 13.08-19.5 MeV. We applied the neutron activation technique using several wide-energy neutron beams (NAXSUN), recently developed at the JRC-IRMM. This method involves measuring the activity of the radionuclides produced in a target by the in energy overlapping neutron beams and a subsequent unfolding procedure. The present results are the first experimental data on these cross-sections for incident neutron energies between 15 and 19.5 MeV and may contribute to improving evaluations and nuclear models.

a b s t r a c tIn Frisch grid ionization chambers special attention must be paid to the operating voltages in order to avoid unwanted collection of electrons on the Frisch grid. Collection of electrons on the grid will lead to a decreased signal to noise ratio and consequently a deteriorated energy resolution. Furthermore, systematic errors in the determination of the angular distribution will be introduced. Theoretical formulas for minimized collection of electrons on the grid were derived by Bunemann et al. [3] in the special case of a Frisch grid consisting of a plane of parallel wires. No such formulas exist for other grid geometries and a careful calibration procedure is needed. We describe here a procedure for characterizing the Frisch grid in terms of its transparency to electrons for a grid consisting of a mesh of crossed wires.

No abstract