RECOIL PROPERTIES OF ANTIMONY ISOTOPES PRODUCED BY REACTION OF 570-MEV AND 18.2-GEV PROTONS WITH URANIUM

Using the method of thick target and thick catchers, the ranges and other recoil properties of 13 (12) antimony isotopes between A = 115 and A = 131 (130) have been measured for the reaction of 570 MeV (18·2 GeV) protons with uranium. The kinetic energies T are almost independent of product mass number at 570 MeV but show a strong dependence at 18·2 GeV, the lightest isotopes having only about half the kinetic energy of the heavy ones. The cascade deposition energies for production of antimony isotopes are almost equal at 570 MeV and 18·2 GeV and fit well to straight lines of the form E* (A, Z) = E* (A0, Z) + b(A - A0). Exceptions are the cascade deposition energies for 115Sb and 116Sb which seem to be somewhat too high at 18·2 GeV. By comparison with other work it seems that the slope b of these lines is independent of product element, target and of proton irradiation energy above 450 MeV. If we assume at 570 MeV, that the fissioning nucleus is a uranium isotope, the conclusion is that the average total kinetic energy of the primary fragments is smaller and thus the average separation distance of their charge centers at scission larger for the lightest antimony fragments than for the heaviest, the difference being about 10 per cent. © 1969.