Nuclear Fission Cross-Correlations and Multiplicities

Detection for Nuclear Nonproliferation Group/Research/Research Projects/Nuclear Fission Cross-Correlations and Multiplicities

Research Focus Areas: 1, 4
(Ph.D. graduate student position available)

Ph.D. Students: S. Marin, N. P. Giha

Collaborators: ORNL, LANL, LBNL, LLNL, ANL

Special nuclear materials are unique in that they undergo spontaneous and induced fission. A binary fission event produces two complementary fission fragments that rapidly emit correlated fast neutrons and gamma rays. Current descriptions and data libraries of these correlated prompt particles for important nuclei are often limited, poor, or/and incorrect, even for important isotopes such as U-235 and Pu-239. Recent advances in experimental systems consisting of large detector arrays are opening the field to new measurements capable of producing important new data that can be incorporated in evaluated nuclear data libraries for use in Monte Carlo simulations and to verify new theoretical models of fission

We are working to measure the correlated, energy-angle emissions of prompt neutrons and gamma rays from spontaneous (Cf-252) and neutron-induced (U-235, Pu-239) fission at U of M and at the LANL/LANSCE facility. We are working with the developer of physics-based fission event generators to improve the capabilities of these codes and increase their predictive power.

Presentations:

  1. CVT Workshop at the University of Michigan, October 20 2016

Related Journal Articles:

  1. Stefano Marin, M. Stephan Okar, Eoin P. Sansevero, Isabel E. Hernandez, Catherine A. Ballard, Ramona Vogt, Jørgen Randrup, Patrick Talou, Amy E. Lovell, Ionel Stetcu, Olivier Serot, Olivier Litaize, Abdelhazize Chebboubi, Shaun D. Clarke, Vladimir A. Protopopescu, and Sara A. Pozzi. Phys. Rev. C 104, 024602. 2021  https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.104.024602
  2. S. Marin, V. A. Protopopescu, R. Vogt, M. J. Marcath, S. Okar, M. Y. Hua, P. Talou, P. F. Schuster, S. D. Clarke, S. A. Pozzi. “Event-by-event neutron–photon multiplicity correlations in 252Cf(sf).” Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A, vol. 968, 163907, 2020, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2020.163907 
  3. M. J. Marcath, T.H. Shin, S.D. Clarke, P. Peerani, S.A. Pozzi, “Neutron Angular Distribution in Plutonium-240 Spontaneous Fission,” Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A, vol. 830, pgs. 163-169, 2016.
  4. S. A. Pozzi, B. Wieger, A. Enqvist, S. D. Clarke, M. Flaska, M. J. Marcath, E. Larsen, R. C. Haight, and E. Padovani, “Correlated Neutron Emissions from Cf-252,” Nuclear Science and Engineering, vol. 178(2), pgs. 250-260, 2014.

Related Conference Proceedings:

  1. M.J. Marcath, A. Di Fulvio, T. H. Shin, S. D. Clarke, E.W. Larsen, E. Padovani, R. C. Haight, S.A. Pozzi, “Prompt Neutron and Gamma-ray Correlations from Cf-252 Spontaneous Fission,” IEEE Nuclear Science Symposium, San Diego, CA, USA. 31 October-7 November, 2015.
  2. M.J. Marcath, T.H. Shin, S. D. Clarke, J.L. Dolan, M. Flaska, E.W. Larsen, S.A. Pozzi, “Plutonium Metal Spontaneous Fission Neutron Cross-Correlation Measurements,” IEEE Nuclear Science Symposium, Seattle, WA, USA. 8-15 November, 2014.