I Fission vs Cluster Decay: What is the Difference?

  • I
  • Thread starter Thread starter snorkack
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Fission
snorkack
Messages
2,388
Reaction score
536
What is defined as "fission"?
Isotopes that undergo "fission" under influence of fast neutrons, though not slow neutrons, are classified as "fissionable". Is Be-9 fissionable?
What is the dividing line between "fission" and "cluster decay"?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
I have a group of nuclear engineering friends, and there is always rivalry between the fission folks and the fusion folks. The fission folks are fond of pointing out that the much studied aneutronic fusion reaction p+B11->3α should really be considered fission!
 
Speed of neutron does not define fissionable. Fissionable usually refers to a nuclide absorbing a neutron and splitting up in (usually) two smaller nuclides plus debris (neutrons, etc.). Be-9 is not fissionable.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cluster_decay
 
mathman said:
Fissionable usually refers to a nuclide absorbing a neutron and splitting up in (usually) two smaller nuclides plus debris (neutrons, etc.). Be-9 is not fissionable.
Be-9+n=2α+2n
Common reaction. Is it fission?
 
snorkack said:
Be-9+n=2α+2n
Common reaction. Is it fission?
It is a matter of definition.
 

Thread 'Toponium Discovered'

Toponium is a hadron which is the bound state of a valance top quark and a valance antitop quark. Oversimplified presentations often state that top quarks don't form hadrons, because they decay to bottom quarks extremely rapidly after they are created, leaving no time to form a hadron. And, the vast majority of the time, this is true. But, the lifetime of a top quark is only an average lifetime. Sometimes it decays faster and sometimes it decays slower. In the highly improbable case that...
View full post »

Thread 'Dirac-Delta from Normalization of Continuous Eigenfunctions'

I'm following this paper by Kitaev on SL(2,R) representations and I'm having a problem in the normalization of the continuous eigenfunctions (eqs. (67)-(70)), which satisfy \langle f_s | f_{s'} \rangle = \int_{0}^{1} \frac{2}{(1-u)^2} f_s(u)^* f_{s'}(u) \, du. \tag{67} The singular contribution of the integral arises at the endpoint u=1 of the integral, and in the limit u \to 1, the function f_s(u) takes on the form f_s(u) \approx a_s (1-u)^{1/2 + i s} + a_s^* (1-u)^{1/2 - i s}. \tag{70}...
View full post »

Similar threads

I Questions about the energy released by nuclear fission
Replies
4
Views
2K
I Nuclear Fission of Uranium-235
Replies
3
Views
2K
I Some Specific Questions Regarding Nuclides
Replies
5
Views
1K
I Energy reduction/deflection of beta particles due to isotope geometry
Replies
2
Views
2K
I Binding energy, fusion and fission
Replies
3
Views
3K
I Why is Proton Radiation this Rare in Nuclear Fission Decay?
Replies
9
Views
3K
I Fissionable elements for Fission
Replies
2
Views
2K
B Is α-Decay the Same as Nuclear Fission? Understanding the Difference
Replies
5
Views
2K
I Fissionable and Fissile materials
Replies
1
Views
2K
I Limitations of fission decay paths
Replies
3
Views
1K

Hot Threads

Recent Insights

Back
Top