SPIDER: A new instrument for fission fragment research at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center

Abstract

The study of fission fragment yields and how they behave as a function of excitation energy provides insight into the process in which they are formed. Fission yields are also important for nuclear applications, as they can be used as a diagnostic tool. A new instrument, SPIDER (Spectrometer for Ion DEtermination in fission Research), is being developed for measuring fission yields as a function of incident neutron energy at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center. The instrument employs a time-of-flight mass spectrometry method in which the velocity and kinetic energy of the fragments are measured in order to determine their mass. Additionally, by using Bragg peak spectroscopy, the charge of the fragments can be identified. A prototype instrument has been developed and preliminary results indicate that ∼ 1 mass unit resolution is feasible using this approach. A larger detector array is currently being designed, and will be used at study fission yields from thermal neutron energies up to at least 20 MeV.