Speaker: John Lestone (NIS-5)

A combined statistical and dynamical model of ternary nuclear fission

Ternary nuclear fission occurs several times per thousand fission events and is characterized by the emission of a third charged fragment about a plane perpendicular to the direction of the main two charged fragments. The present consensus is that ternary fission is not associated with a statistical (evaporation) process. However, ternary fission can be understood by a combined statistical and dynamical model. In this model, the density of a particle atmosphere surrounding scission configurations is calculated. This atmosphere is made up of particles evaporated from the nuclear fluid with enough energy to exist as quasi-separate particles for a period of time, but not with enough energy to clear the nuclear force. Occasionally a charged particle is found high enough above the scission point that it fails to be reabsorbed by either of the main fragments as they accelerate away from each other after scission.