Erratum: Monoenergetic photon-induced fission cross-section ratio measurements for U 235, U 238, and Pu 239 from 9.0 to 17.0 MeV (Physical Review C (2018) 98 (014608) DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevC.98.014608)

Background: High-accuracy data are needed to advance microscopic descriptions of the nuclear fission process, to improve the predictive precision of phenomenological models, and for applications in nuclear energy and homeland security. Purpose: The main goal of this work is to provide high-accuracy cross-section data for photofission of 235U, 238U, and 239Pu in the energy range from the fission threshold to the high-energy tail of the giant dipole resonance. These new data should contribute significantly to the reduction of the systematic uncertainty in evaluated photofission cross-section databases. Method: Cross-section ratios for photofission of the “big three” actinide nuclei were measured using a quasimonoenergetic photon beam and dual-fission chambers. The measurements were performed at the HIγS facility using a photon beam produced from Compton backscattering of free-electron laser light. The dual-fission chamber enabled simultaneous counting of fission events from two targets. This method allows for cross-section ratio measurements with very small systematic errors. The largest source of systematic error in the determination of the cross-section ratios is the uncertainty in the ratio of the target thicknesses.

Duke Scholars

Author Calvin R. Howell Physics

Author Werner Tornow Physics