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This work addresses the use of plastic scintillators as an alternative to 3He detectors for radioactive waste drum characterization. The time response of scintillators is three orders of magnitude faster than that of gas proportional counters and they offer similar neutron detection efficiency at lower cost. However, they are sensitive to gamma rays and the commonly used Pulse Shape Discrimination technique is not possible with basic PVT scintillators. This paper reports on an innovative data processing technique allowing to extract spontaneous fission events from parasitic coincidences, such as those from the (α,n) reactions accompanied by correlated gamma rays or from pure gamma-ray sources emitting correlated radiations. The proposed approach makes advantage of differences in the pulse detection times recorded in measurements with the 252Cf, AmBe and 60Co sources. More precisely, a 2D histogram of time delays between the detected 2nd and 1st pulses, on the x-axis, and between the 3rd and 2nd pulses, on the y-axis, is found to allow for selection of a region of interest most relevant to spontaneous fission events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the results of two experiments where we have measured for the first time simultaneously the fission and gamma-decay probabilities induced by different surrogate reactions. In particular, we have investigated the 238U(d,p), 238U(³He,t) and 238U(³He,4He) reactions as surrogates for the neutron-induced n +238U, n +237Np and n +236U reactions, respectively. In the region where gamma emission, neutron emission and fission compete, our results for the fission probabilities agree fairly well with the neutron-induced data, whereas our gamma-decay probabilities are significantly higher than the neutroninduced data. The interpretation of these results is not obvious and is discussed within the framework of the statistical model with preliminary results for calculated spin-parity distributions populated in surrogate reactions. We also present future plans for surrogate-reaction studies in inverse kinematics with radioactiveion beams at storage rings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The surrogate-reaction method is an indirect way of determining cross sections for reactions that proceed through a compound nucleus. This technique may enable neutron-induced cross sections to be extracted for short-lived nuclei that otherwise cannot be measured. However, the validity of the surrogate method has to be investigated. In particular, the absence of a compound nucleus formation and the Jπ dependence of the decay probabilities may question the method. In this work we study the reactions 238U(d,p)239U, 238U(³He,t)238Np, 238U(³He,4He)237U as surrogates for neutron-induced reactions on 238U, 237Np and 236U, respectively, for which good quality data exist. The experimental set-up enabled the measurement of fission and gamma-decay probabilities. The first results are hereby presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new experimental set-up for a simultaneous measurement of neutron induced capture and fission cross sections was designed, assembled and optimized. The measurements will be performed at GEel LINear Accelerator (GELINA) neutron time-of-flight facility in Belgium, where neutron cross sections can be measured over a wide energy range with high energy resolution. The fission events detector consists of a dedicated multi-plate high efficiency fission ionization chamber (IC). The γ-rays produced in capture reaction are detected by an efficient array of C6D6 scintillators. Fission γ-rays events are distinguished from capture events by the anticoincidence signals from the IC and the C6D6 detectors. For the undetected fission events a correction has to be applied with respect to the efficiency of the IC that should be high and known with a high precision. Another important issue is the good separation between fission-fragment (FF) and the high alpha pile-up. The performances of the IC during test experiments are presented, focusing in particular on the detection efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microsecond isomers in the In and Cd isotopes, in the mass range A = 123 to 130, were investigated at the ILL reactor, Grenoble, using the LOHENGRIN mass spectrometer, through thermal-neutron induced fission reactions of Pu targets. The level schemes of the odd-mass 123–129In are reported. A shell-model study of the heaviest In and Cd nuclei was performed using a realistic interaction derived from the CD-Bonn nucleon-nucleon potential. © 2005 American Institute of Physics [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermal-neutron-induced fission of 243Cm was studied at the Lohengrin mass separator. The light-mass peak of the fission-yield curve was investigated, and mass (from A=72 to A=120) and independent-product (for Z=28–37) yields were obtained. A comparison was made of the results obtained on the mass yields with those from the fission of 245Cm as well as with the data given by the JEF-2.2 and ENDF/B-VI libraries. The yield of masses in the superasymmetric region was found to be identical to other fission reactions studied at Lohengrin. Experimental fission-product yields from the fission of 243Cm and 245Cm were able to be well described within a theoretical model, which incorporates standard and superasymmetric fission modes as well as a calculation of the charge-distribution parameters in isobaric chains and neutron multiplicities from primary fragments. A prediction of the yield of Ni isotopes in the fission of 243,245,247Cm was made. © 2005 American Institute of Physics [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mass, isotopic yields for thermal-neutron induced fission of 245Cm at the Lohengrin fission-product mass separator are described. Using an ionization chamber coupled to the mass separator, we have measured the mass and isotopic yields from fragment mass A=67 up to A=77 over three yield decades. This considerably extends the data set previously known for the light peak. The results of mass and isotopic yields are compared with those of other compound nuclei to highlight the shell effect at mass 70 for the 246Cm* compound-nucleus system. Finally, the neutron evaporation in the super-asymmetric fission of 245Cm is investigated. © 2005 American Institute of Physics [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]