Alpha-induced reactions on fissile nuclei at energies to 50 MeV

An existing model of alpha-particle-induced reactions has been extended to include fission competition. Forty-six excitation functions from nine target nuclei at incident energies to 50 MeV have been calculated and compared to experimental data taken from the literature of the last 35 years. In particular, it is shown that specific modes of interaction of the alpha particle are responsible for the features of individual excitation functions. A simple fission barrier characterized only by its height is shown to suffice in reproducing the fission-evaporation competition