Eur. Phys. J. Plus (2018) 133: 99
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjp/i2018-11926-y

Regular Article

Systematics of Nd cumulative fission yields for neutron-induced fission of ²³⁵U, ²³⁸U, ²³⁸Pu, ²³⁹Pu, ²⁴⁰Pu and ²⁴¹Pu

¹ CEA, DEN Cadarache, 13108, Saint Paul Les Durance, France
² Centre d’Etudes Nucléaires Bordeaux Gradignan, CNRS/IN2P3, Univ. Bordeaux 1, 33175, Gradignan, France
³ Paul Scherrer Institut, 5232, Villigen, Switzerland

^* e-mail: gilles.noguere@cea.fr

Received: 5 October 2017
Accepted: 9 February 2018
Published online: 12 March 2018

Abstract

Systematics of cumulative fission yields of the neodymium isotopes for the thermal and fast neutron fission of ²³⁵U, ²³⁸U, ²³⁸Pu, ²³⁹Pu, ²⁴⁰Pu and ²⁴¹Pu were obtained by combining integral results from the PROFIL experiments with theoretical calculations from the GEF code. The systematic behavior with the neodymium mass number (A = 143, 145, 146, 148, 150) deduced from the experimental trends is consistent with the smooth variation predicted by the GEF calculations, excepted for the ²³⁸U(n,f) reaction. For this system, isotopic and isotonic effects in fission-fragment shell structures are not adequately taken into account in the theoretical calculation. The obtained results also confirm the weak energy dependence of the Nd cumulative fission yields in the energy range of interest for thermal and sodium fast reactors. They suggest an energy dependency comparable to the experimental uncertainty which lies below 3%, for the ²³⁵U, ²³⁹Pu and ²⁴¹Pu fissile isotopes.