High resolution photofission measurements in 238U and 232Th. Final report

A novel technique for measuring the photofission cross section with very high photon energy resolution has been developed. The photons are obtained from selected resonances in the (p,γ) reaction on various light nuclei. The photon energy resolution approaches 200 eV in favorable cases. The photon energy spread at each (p,γ) resonance is approx.20 keV on the average. Measurements of the photo-fission cross sections of 232Th and 238U have been carried out in the energy range from 5.8 to 12 MeV. Intermediate structure has been found in both nuclei at excitation energies around 6 MeV. Various properties of this structure, such as average areas of resonances, their spacing, width, and the underlying bakground, as well as the experimental fission probability averaged over the intermediate structure have been found to agree with theoretical predictions based on a double-humped fission barrier. In the case of 232Th, the feature of this barrier, a rather high first hump and a deep secondary well, are quite different from those predicted by current theoretial barrier calculations. 13 refs., 4 figs., 3 tabs