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Calorimetric low temperature detectors (CLTD’s) for heavy-ion detection have been combined with the LOHENGRIN recoil separator at the ILL Grenoble for the determination of nuclear charge distributions of fission fragments produced by thermal neutron-induced fission of $$^{235}$$ U. The LOHENGRIN spectrometer separates fission fragments according to their mass-to-ionic-charge ratio and their kinetic energy, but has no selectivity with respect to nuclear charges Z. For the separation of the nuclear charges, one can exploit the nuclear charge-dependent energy loss of the fragments passing through an energy degrader foil (absorber method). This separation requires detector systems with high energy resolution and negligible pulse height defect, as well as degrader foils which are optimized with respect to thickness, homogeneity, and energy loss straggling. In the present, contribution results of test measurements at the Maier Leibnitz tandem accelerator facility in Munich with $$^{109}$$ Ag and $$^{127}$$ I beams with the aim to determine the most suitable degrader material, as well as measurements at the Institut Laue–Langevin will be presented. These include a systematic study of the quality of Z-separation of fission fragments in the mass range $$82\le A \le 132$$ and a systematic measurement of $$^{92}$$ Rb fission yields, as well as investigations of fission yields toward the symmetry region.

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.

The results of experimental and theoretical studies of the double-differential proton and neutron spectra measured in coincidence with fission fragments in the deuteron-induced reaction on a 238U target at E d =65 MeV are presented. These spectra measured in the forward direction are analyzed in the plane-wave Born approximation by using the modified model of stripping into a continuum. The pre-neutron emission fission fragment mass distributions were measured for the (d, f), (d, pf), and (d, nf) reaction channels. The enhancement of highly asymmetric mass division in the (d, pf) channel for the low-energy part of the breakup proton spectrum was observed. The (d, pf) channel can be used to imitate the neutron-induced fission at intermediate energy. The fission characteristics were analyzed in the model taking into account nuclear friction and relevant fission modes.

Ternary fission induced by cold polarized neutrons was studied for the two isotopes 233U and 235U at the Institut Laue-Langevin in Grenoble, France. In particular two types of angular correlations between the spin of the incoming neutrons and the emission directions of both, the fission fragments (FF) and the ternary particles (TP), were investigated. For FF and TP detectors facing the target at right angles to the neutron beam, first, for longitudinally polarized neutrons a triple correlation between spin and the emission of outgoing particles was explored and, second, for transversally polarized neutrons parity violating asymmetries in the emission of FFs and TPs were analyzed. Nonzero expectation values for the triple correlation were oberserved in the present experiments for the first time.

A pronounced fine structure (FS) in the form of distinct peaks was observed in neutron gated mass spectra from the decay of the 278110 composite system produced in the reaction 238U + 40Ar (243 MeV) at an initial excitation energy E * > 70 MeV. The FS peaks are located in the vicinity of mass numbers 70-80, 100, and 130, which correspond to those of magic nuclei (clusters). In the data there is also evidence for a new type of decay -- collinear cluster tripartition of an excited nucleus.

Fission fragment mass distributions down to super-asymmetric mass region and both pre- and post-scission neutron multiplicity for238U(p,fission) reaction atEp = 20, 35, 50, 60 MeV and for232Th(p, fission) reaction atEp = 50, 60 MeV were measured using HENDES set-up. The results indicate enhancement for super-asymmetric mass division at intermediate excitation energies.

An experiment was performed on prompt γ-ray emission in binary and α-particle accompanied spontaneous fission of 252C f using the Darmstadt-Heidelberg 4π NaI Crystal Ball spectrometer. The enhancement in γ-ray yield, denoted as the “high-energy component”, which appears between 3.5 and 8 MeV and in the region of near-symmetric fragment mass splits, was observed to be equally pronounced in both fission modes. Analyzing the fragment mass dependence of the mean γ-ray multiplicity in both fission modes clearly identifies the disintegration of equilibrated fission fragments in a narrow mass range around the double-magic 132Sn as the source of these γ-rays.

The recoil spectrometer Lohengrin of the Institute Laue-Langevin in Grenoble was used to measure the yields of light fission fragments separated according to their mass and nuclear charge for the mass-number range 76 ⩽ A L ⩽ 93 in the cold fission regime. Neutron emission being forbidden energetically, the correlated heavy fission fragments including their kinetic energies, as well as the total excitation energy TXE of both fragments were determined by conservation laws. Close to TXE = 0, the yields seem to be strongly influenced by the level density of the fragments. In order to obtain yields for the fission into the ground-states of the two fragments, the measured yields per excitation energy interval were divided by calculated level densities for the two fragment system and extrapolated to TXE = 0. These deduced ground-state yields are influenced by the Q values and by the potential energy of the fragments at the scission configuration. The observed trends in the ground-state yields as a function of nuclear charge and mass may qualitatively be reproduced by calculated penetrabilities through the scission barrier. In these calculations, no correspondence between the calculated penetrabilities and the ground-state yields is found if calculated fragment ground-state deformations are used. There is no difference in the influence of neutron and proton pairing on the ground-state yields.

Ternary fission of the standard reaction 235U(nth,f) induced by cold polarized neutrons has been investigated. Fission fragments and light charged particles were recorded in coincidence. Following cold neutron capture the compound nucleus 236U* has spin 3− or 4−. At the saddle point of the fissioning 236U* nucleus these states are collective. They are expected to retain a sizable collectivity down to the scission point. In fact, a collective rotation has been sensed by the shift in the angular distribution of the light charged particles which depends on the orientation of neutron polarization. Direct observation of the rotation of 236U* excited in a cold neutron reaction is reported here for the first time. It is proposed to call the new phenomenon the “ROT‐effect”.

International audience; A novel method to search for the anisotropic emission of prompt neutrons in the center-of-mass system of fission fragments is presented. The anisotropy is conjectured to be due to the large spins of fission fragments are known to carry. Triple neutron- neutron-fragment correlations in spontaneous fission of $^{252}$Cf were investigated in an exploratory experiment dubbed CORA-DEMON experiment. Fission fragments were intercepted in a double ionization chamber while neutrons were spotted in 2 two-dimensional cylindrical walls of Demon detectors with the target on the vertical cylinder axis. A new method of analysis of triple angular correlations between 2 neutrons and a fission fragment was applied. Preliminary results are reported.

P‐odd and T‐odd asymmetries in the emission of fragments and light particles have been investigated in ternary fission induced by polarized neutrons. P‐odd asymmetries unambiguously point to a violation of parity in the fission process. By contrast, T‐odd asymmetries do not necessarily imply a violation of time reversal invariance. The asymmetries observed are rather due to a final state interaction between the light ternary particle and the nucleus from which they are ejected. New results with interesting information on the ternary fission process are presented.

The study of neutron-rich light nuclei near the drip line has attracted much attention as they exhibit a particular nuclear structure, namely an extended distribution of the valence neutrons surrounding a compact core. Recently the elastic proton scattering from 6,8He and 8,9,11Li at 700 MeV/u using an inverse kinematics was successfully measured at GSI [1,2]. A high-pressure hydrogen-filled ionization chamber was used as the target and a proton detector. The previous experiments were performed in the small range 0.002 ≤| t |≤ 0.05 (GeV/c)2 of the four-momentum transfer squared t and have yielded valuable information on the nuclear sizes and radial structure of nuclear matter density distributions with the aid of the Glauber multiple scattering theory. Recently, a novel experimental approach has been accomplished with the aim to deduce the differential p 6,8He cross sections in the t-range 0.05 ≤| t |≤ 0.25 (GeV/c)2 close to the expected first diffraction minimum.

Neutron-rich light nuclei near the neutron drip line have attracted much attention in recent years as they feature a particular nuclear structure, namely an extended distribution (so-called halo) of the valence neutrons surrounding a compact nuclear core. Elastic proton scattering is known as a suitable technique for exploring the nuclear matter distributions in the stable nuclei. It was successfully employed at GSI also for the radioactive nuclei 6,8He and 8,9,11Li [1–3]. The experimental technique of inverse kinematics was applied using radioactive beams with energies near 700 MeV/u. The elastic differential cross section for small-angle scattering (3° ≤ θCM ≤ 10°) was deduced from the data taken with the ionization chamber IKAR, as an active target, and a forward spectrometer. The method has been demonstrated to be very effective for obtaining valuable information on the nuclear matter distribution in the halo nuclei under investigation, such as 6He, 8He and 11Li. The previous measurements at small momentum transfer have been highly sensitive on the nuclear sizes and the radial distributions of the nuclear matter density. Recently, a novel experimental approach has been accomplished with the aim to deduce the differential p6,8He cross sections for larger angles (10≤ ± θCM ≤ 30°) that correspond to a higher momentum transfer which covers the region of the first diffraction minimum.

Fission of 233U induced by thermal neutrons and with detectors for fission fragments and ternary particles covering large solid angles has been studied. Evidence has been found for events where two light charged particles are emitted in coincidence with fission fragments.

HENDES is a new device for correlation measurements of fission fragments, neutrons and light charged particles produced in HI induced reactions. Double differential neutron spectra are measured with the help of Position Sensitive Neutron Detectors, fission fragment spectra are recorded with large Position Sensitive Avalanche Counters, and light charge particle spectra are measured with arrays of dE-E telescopes. Collective dynamical parameters of nuclear matter are extracted from the data. New results were obtained from 40Ar+180Hf reaction at EAr=190–250 MeV. Work is in progress to study the influence of neutron excess on the fusion-fission dynamics in different combinations of Ni beams on Sn targets.

Fission fragment mass yields from thermal neutron induced fission of 245Cm have been measured as a function of fragment kinetic energy. Simultaneously the kinetic energy and angular distribution of Long Range Alpha particles have been recorded.

The yields of light fission products from thermal-neutron induced fission of 233U are measured as a function of their mass A, their nuclear charge Z, their kinetic energy E and their ionic charge state q at the recoil spectrometer Lohengrin of the Institut Laue-Langevin in Grenoble. The mass yields are determined by intercepting the fragments with an ionization chamber of high energy resolution positioned at the focal plane of the spectrometer. The nuclear charges and their yields are determined with the same ionization chamber by measuring the residual energy of fission products, selected monoenergetically by Lohengrin, behind a passive absorber made of parylene-C. The nuclear charge resolution enabled by this detector device is considerably improved to Z/dZ = 58. The nuclear charge and mass distributions summed over all ionic charge states are listed within the mass range 79 ⩽ A ⩽ 106 at 6 energies: E = 85.34, 90.41, 95.46, 100.50, 105.55 and 110.55 MeV. The energy-integrated nuclear charge and mass yields are also given. The isotonic and isotopic yields are shown. An odd-even effect in the yields is found for the protons as well as for the neutrons at all kinetic energies. The yield weighted total odd-even effect for the protons is found to be (22.1 ± 2.1)%, for the neutrons (5.4 ± 1.7)%. An odd-even effect for the protons in the mean kinetic energy is also observed. The displacement of the mean isobaric nuclear charges from the unchanged charge-density values and the variances of the isobaric nuclear-charge distributions reveal fine structures in their mass dependences.

A systematic study of light charged particle (Z≤10) accompanied fission has been undertaken using the very intense neutron beams at the High Flux Reactor of the Institute Laue Langevin.

At the recoil spectrometer “Lohengrin” of the Institut Laue-Langevin in Grenoble, the yields of the light fission products from the thermal-neutron-induced fission of 239 Pu were measured as a function of A , Z , the kinetic energy E and the ionic charge states q . The nuclear charge and mass distributions summed over all ionic charge states were determined for different light fissionproduct kinetic energies between 93 and 112 MeV. The proton odd-even effect which was measured to be (11.6 ± 0.6)% causes considerable fine structure in the yields. The average kinetic energy of even- Z elements in the light fission-product group is 0.3 ± 0.1 MeV larger than for odd- Z elements. The neutron odd-even effect is (6.5 ± 0.7)%. The comparison with previously published data 1 ) for thermal-neutron-induced fission of 235 U reveals a correlation between the proton odd-even effect in the yield and in the kinetic energy of the elements. The dependence of the proton odd-even effect on the fragmentation is very similar for 235 U and 239 Pu when it is considered as a function of the nuclear charge of the heavy fission products. The isobaric variances σ z 2 . for thermal-neutron fission of 235 U and 239 Pu coincide at all kinetic energies if the influence of the proton odd-even effect is averaged out. This supports the hypothesis that the magnitude of σ z 2 is determined only by quantum-mechanical zero-point fluctuations. The influence of the spherical shells Z = 50 and N = 82 on the fragmentation is discussed.

The ternary fission component in 235U(n, f) was studied in detail using the detection system ‘DIOGENES’, measuring ternary alpha particles in coincidence with both correlated fission fragments. Present results on equatorial and polar ternary fission are discussed.

A new detector system for the comprehensive investigation of light charged particle accompanied fission is described. First experimental results obtained on neutron induced fission of 235U at the high-flux reactor of the ILL are used to discuss the properties of the system.

A new detection system for the comprehensive investigation of light charged particle associated nuclear fission is described. It consists of a toroidal