Total kinetic, excitation energy and neutron multiplicity distribution of californium isotopes

Abstract

The mean total kinetic energy as a function of fission fragments, <TKE>(A), is calculated for neutron-induced fission of ^{247,249,251,253,255}Cf, as well as for spontaneous fission of ^{248,250,252,254}Cf using the scission point model. A comparative analysis is performed between the calculated results and existing experimental data. Investigation into the behavior of <TKE>(A) is conducted, particularly focusing on intermediate and heavy actinides. While nuclear and Coulomb energy evaluations suffice for estimating <TKE> values in light actinides, this approximation proves inadequate for evaluating TKE values for intermediate and heavy actinides. Additionally, an evaluation is made of the total excitation energy as a function of fission fragments, <TXE>(A), concerning spontaneous fission in ^247−254Cf. It is found that TXE values sharply increase near the symmetric region across all isotopes and exhibit a gradual increase in heavy fission fragments. Furthermore, an exploration of the total neutron multiplicity as a function of fission fragments, ${\nu }_T\left(A\right)$, is conducted for ²⁵²Cf fission using two methods. The ${\nu }_T\left(A\right)$ results obtained through these methods are compared with experimental data, and ${\nu }_T\left(A\right)$ is estimated for unmeasured californium isotopes. The average neutron emission per fission event, $\overline{\nu }\left(A_i\right)$, is then calculated for spontaneous fission of ²⁵¹Cf and ²⁵³Cf, yielding values of 3.46 and 3.59, respectively.