Experimental nuclear and radiochemistry. Progress report, February 1, 1980-January 31, 1981

Deep nuclear spallation reactions induced by high-energy light particles on complex nuclei were investigated. Experimental studies involve activation of various medium to heavy mass targets bombarded by pi-mesons, protons and alpha particles. A prime objective is to deconvolve the cascade and evaporation steps in the reaction mechanism. Emphasis has been placed on spallation products far from yield maxima where the deconvolution is most justifiable. Irradiations have been performed predominantly at the Clinton P. Anderson Los Alamos Meson Physics Facility. Results of cross section determinations from bombardments of /sup 89/Y, /sup 92/Mo, /sup 96/Mo and /sup 100/Mo with 800 MeV protons have nearly been completed, providing comparison of isobaric and mass-yield distributions. Data have also been obtained at 500 MeV. Theoretical efforts are being directed at the evaporative behavior of very high-temperature nuclei as determined by the nuclear equation of state and how such behavior might be observed in very deep spallation processes. In addition, the soft spheres model has been combined with spallation systematics to explore the feasibility of high-intensity beams to incinerate high-level nuclear wastes and also to predict interaction lengths in nuclear emulsion studies of relativistic heavy ions. Data are presented on spallation of /sup 130/Te by 800-MeVmore » protons, decay of /sup 87/Zr, and /sup 84/Zr, spallation-transmutation of /sup 90/Sr, and anomalous relativistic projectile fragments in emulsion detectors. (DLC)« less