Scission Deformation of the Cd120/Sn132 Neutronless Fragmentation in Cf252 ( sf )

• Published in: Physical review letters 2024-04, Vol.132 (14)
• Main Authors: Francheteau, A, Gaudefroy, L, Scamps, G, Roig, O, Méot, V, Ebran, A, Bélier, G
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Nuclear Experiment; Physics
• ISSN: 0031-9007; 1079-7114
• DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.132.142501

We report on a study of the radiative decay of fission fragments populated via neutronless fission of Cf252 ( sf ) . Applying the double-energy method a perfect mass identification is achieved for these rare events. In the specific case of the Cd120/Sn132 cold fragmentation, we find that Sn132 is produced in its ground state. We can therefore directly measure the excitation energy of the complementary fragment, Cd120 . 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 ( β2≃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.