Evaluation of independent and cumulative fission product yields with gamma spectrometry

Fission product yields are critical data for a variety of nuclear science and engineering applications; however, independent yields have not been extensively measured to date. We have previously documented a methodology to measure the cumulative and independent fission product yields using gamma spectrometry and nuclide buildup and decay modeling, and numerical optimization. We have produced fission products by bombarding ²³⁵U with 14.1 MeV neutrons and made measurements of fission product yields. In this paper, we summarize our approach, describe initial experiments, and present preliminary results where we have determined nine fission product yields for long-lived nuclides. (author)