Abstract
Fission neutron multiplicity data are imperative for nuclear models that support criticality safety, nuclear nonproliferation, and stockpile stewardship. This work presents the first experimental measurement to determine the average neutron multiplicity ($\overline{\ensuremath{\nu}}$) and the neutron multiplicity distribution using a surrogate reaction. $^{241}\mathrm{Pu}$ has a short half-life of 14.3 yr. To circumvent experimental difficulties, inelastic scattering of 53.96-MeV $\ensuremath{\alpha}$ particles on $^{242}\mathrm{Pu}$ served as a surrogate for $^{241}\mathrm{Pu}(n,f)$. The present text reports and discusses the average neutron multiplicity, in addition to the neutron multiplicity moments and distribution for equivalent neutron energies up to 20 MeV. The $\overline{\ensuremath{\nu}}$ measured in this experiment agrees with previous measurements until 12 MeV, where discrepancies arise due to preequilibrium neutron emission.
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