Gamma-ray strength function and pygmy resonance in rare earth nuclei

The gamma-ray strength function for gamma energies in the 1-7 MeV region has been measured for 161,162-Dy and 171,172-Yb using the (3-He,alpha gamma) reaction. Various models are tested against the observed gamma-ray strength functions. The best description is based on the Kadmenskii, Markushev and Furman E1 model with constant temperature and the Lorentzian M1 model. A gamma-ray bump observed at E_gamma=3 MeV is interpreted as the so-called pygmy resonance, which has also been observed previously in (n,gamma) experiments. The parameters for this resonance have been determined and compared to the available systematics.Comment: 11 pages, including 4 figures and 2 table

Fragment-mass distributions in neutron-induced fission of Th232 and U238 at 33, 45, and 60 MeV

We have measured fission fragment-mass yields for neutron-induced fission of Th232 and U238 at energies 32.8, 45.3, and 59.9 MeV. The experiments were done at quasimonoenergetic neutron beams of the Cyclotron Research Center at Louvain-la-Neuve. To detect the fission fragments, a multisection Frisch-gridded ionization chamber was used. The measurement and data analysis techniques are discussed in detail. The obtained mass yields are compared to model calculations with the intermediate-energy nuclear reaction code MCFX. The MCFX code is used to calculate the fraction of fissioning nuclei after cascade, preequilibrium, and statistical reaction stages. The formation of mass distributions is considered as a result of oscillations of the mass-asymmetry degree of freedom in the potential well calculated with the temperature-dependent shell correction method. The experimental results as well as the results of the model calculations demonstrate that the probability of symmetric fission increases with incident neutron energy for both nuclei. The comparison also shows that the symmetric fission is more enhanced for thorium than for uranium with increasing neutron energy. We also compare U238 results with available experimental data; the Th232 data were measured for the first time. © 2011 American Physical Society