An investigation of energy and emission probabilities of tritons and alpha-particles in the spontaneous fission of 252Cf

The energy spectrum of alpha-particles in the ternary fission of 252Cf has been determined by two independent methods, and that of tritons by just one. In the first method, Long Range Alpha (LRA) particles and tritons were identified by a counter telescope, and the energy spectrum and the emission probability of both tritons and alpha particles determined. In the second, combinations of the LR115 plastic and various thicknesses of aluminium foil were used to measure the energy spectrum of LRA particles down to a 2 MeV cut-off. The results indicate that the shape of the α-particle energy spectrum is almost Gaussian, and there is no significant variation from such a distribution in the low-energy tail. (author)