Chemical analysis of heavy elements by identification of fission fragments through X-ray coincidence measurements

Abstract

A two-parameter coincident (X-ray, X-ray) measurement was made using a Si(Li) X-ray detector and a Ge(Li) X-ray detector to study the X-ray production in the252Cf fission process.K X-ray peaks from adjacentZ fission products for elements Y through Rh and I through Pr are well resolved in both detectors. The measurement yields the result that there is a large number of coincident events with X-rays from the sameZ element as well as with X-rays from the complementary fission product (e.g. CsK X-rays are in coincidence with both the complementary TcK X-rays and the CsK X-rays). The various possibilities one may consider are: (1)K X-ray production by the primary fission process followed by internal conversion, (2) multipleK X-ray production in the stopping process of the fission products, (3)K shell ionization resulting from β-decay of the fission fragments followed by internal conversion in the same fragment, and (4) multiple internal conversion processes from cascading transitions. Each of these four possible causes for self-coincident X-ray production is explored. Further two-parameter measurements were made of low-energy γ-rays in coincidence with characteristicK X-rays from the individual elements formed in the fission. Combined with previous mass determinations, it was possible to identify many of the observed γ-rays with individual isotopes. However, a large number of low-energy transitions were observed and identified as to elemental charge, but which had not been seen previously so that no mass determination was possible.