ON THE PRODUCTION OF HEAVY URANIUM ISOTOPES IN A VERY HIGH DENSITY FAST NEUTRON FLUX

摘要

This report discusses an estimate of the probability of multiple capture Of neutrons by U 238 in times short compared to β-decay lifetimes and to spontaneous fission lifetimes as, for example, in a thermonuclear explosion. We first assume that we have the requisite very high density neutron flux and ask in Part I how far successive capture can take us. In Part II, we estimate the pertinent cross sections, and in Part in, we set up and solve the appropriate differential equations. In Part IV, we give our estimates in the form of graphs.