Analysis of pre-scission neutron multiplicities in terms of the statistical model with Kramers dissipative fission

Pre-scission neutron multiplicities in fusion-fission reactions, reported by Hinde et al., have been analyzed in terms of the statistical model assuming a possible hindrance of the compound-nucleus fission width by the Kramers factor which depends on nuclear dissipation. Contrary to earlier results reported by Hofman, Back and Paul on an analysis of the GDR γ-decay, the nuclear dissipation deduced in the present analysis does not show a clear dependence on the temperature of the compound nucleus. On average, the deduced values of the nuclear dissipation are consistent with the one-body dissipation estimate. (author)