The spontaneous fission of 252 Cf serves as an excellent benchmark of prompt emission in fission since experimental data can be obtained without the need of an incident beam. With the purpose of providing experimental data on the prompt fission neutron properties in correlation with fission-fragment characteristics, an experiment on 252 Cf(SF) has been performed. In addition, the experiment serves as a benchmark of setup and analysis procedures for measurements of fluctuations in the prompt-neutron properties as a function of incident neutron energy in fission of the major actinides 235 U and 239 Pu. The experiment employs a twin Frisch grid ionization chamber as fission-fragment detector while neutrons were counted by using a liquid scintillator placed along the symmetry axis of the ionization chamber. Average neutron multiplicity has been obtained as a function of fission-fragment mass and total kinetic energy (TKE). The average multiplicity as a function of mass agrees well with available data in the literature in the mass range from 80 to 170 u. The existence of additional sawtooth structures in the far asymmetric mass region could not be confirmed, although the statistical accuracy of the present experiment is as good as the previous study where such structures have been reported [Nucl. Phys. A 490, 307 (1988).]. The available data in the literature on the TKE dependence of the multiplicity show strong deviations. Therefore, effort was focused on investigating experimental factors in low-efficiency neutron-counting experiments that may lead to faulty determination of this dependence. Taking these factors into account, a result that agrees well with data from high-efficiency neutron-counting experiments is obtained. The experimental arrangement allows determination of the angle between the detected neutron and the fission axis, which permits the neutron properties to be transformed into the fission-fragment rest frame. Fission neutron emission spectra in the fragment center-of-mass frame have thereby been obtained as a function of the fission-fragment mass and TKE.

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Improved knowledge of prompt emission in fission has significant implications for our understanding of the fission process. It is also important for improving nuclear data evaluation, with impact on applications. The correlation between prompt neutrons and fragments emitted in binary neutron induced fission of 235 U has been studied at the GELINA facility. The experiment employs an array of proton recoil scintillators and a position-sensitive twin ionization chamber. This experimental arrangement permits measurement of the correlations between neutron emission, fragment angle, and mass and energy of the fission fragments. In this article, we present results on prompt fission neutron energy and multiplicity correlations with mass and total kinetic energy of the fission fragments. Results from the present measurement shows distinct differences compared to earlier studies of the correlated fission fragment and prompt neutron emission quantities. The differences with respect to earlier investigations are interpreted as improved fission fragment energy resolution in the present measurement. The present result supports several recent model calculations of prompt neutron and fission fragment correlations.

In this paper we present new results for prompt fission γ-ray spectral characteristics from the thermal neutron induced fission of 240 Pu *. The measured spectra were unfolded by using the detectors' response functions, simulated with GEANT4. We obtained in average per fission a γ-ray multiplicityM γ = (7.35 ± 0.12), a mean photon energy¯ γ = (0.85 ± 0.02) MeV, and an average total energy released in fissionĒ γ,tot = (6.27 ± 0.11) MeV. Our results are in good agreement with historical data measured in the 1970s by Verbinski et al. and results from recent calculations in the framework of Monte Carlo Hauser-Feshbach models. Our measured average total energy is slightly smaller than the one deduced previously and present in evaluated data. From this we conclude that the 239 Pu(n th ,f) reaction may be ruled out as possible source of γ heating underestimation, when compared with benchmark calculations based on existing nuclear data.