Prompt Emission in Fission Induced with Fast Neutrons

Prompt gamma-ray and neutron emission data in fission integrates a large amount of information on the fission process and can shed light on the partition of energy. Measured emission spectra, average energies and multiplicities also provide important information for energy applications. While current reactors mostly use thermal neutron spectra, the future reactors of Generation IV will use fast neutron spectra for which little experimental prompt emission data exist.Initial investigations on prompt emission in fast neutron induced fission have recently been carried out at the LICORNE facility at the IPN Orsay, which exploits inverse reactions to produce naturally collimated, intense beams of neutrons. We report on first results with LICORNE to measure prompt fission gamma-ray spectra, average energies and multiplicities for 235U and 238U. Current improvements and upgrades being carried out on the LICORNE facility will also be described, including the development of a H2 gas target to reduce parasitic backgrounds and increase intensities, and the deployment of 11B beams to extend the effective LICORNE neutron energy range up to 12 MeV. Prospects for future experimental studies of prompt gamma-ray and neutron emission in fast neutron induced fission will be presented.