Energetics of Nuclear Reactions

Lecture 3

Dr. Sajjad Tahir

Department of Nuclear Engineering

Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences 1
Nuclear Fission Reaction
Nuclear Fission Reactions
Q-value of a Nuclear Reaction
• Definition
Difference of the rest masses of the
reactants and products
OR
Difference in the kinetic energies of
products and reactants

4
 Q Value Equation
Consider the reaction: Reactants Products

a+X Y + b -----------(1)

Q = + + --------(2)

Q = + --------(3)

Where Tx = 0

5
 Energetics of Nuclear Reactions
Conservation of total energy implies:
= + +
Rearrangement of the terms results:
- + =

Using equation (2) in equation (5):

Q =- + =

Target X is considered to be at rest, therefore TX =0

6
 Energetics(Continued)
Conservation of linear momentum in X and Y direction implies:
Along x-axis =
Along y-axis =
From the K.E definition

Use Eq. (9) in Eq. (7) & (8)

7
ϕ
 Energetics(Continued)
• We obtained
cos

√ 𝑚𝑏 𝑇 𝑏 𝑠𝑖𝑛θ=√ 𝑚𝑌 𝑇 𝑌  sin φ −−− −−(11)

• Squaring and adding Eq. (10) & (11)

𝑚𝑎 𝑇 𝑎 +𝑚𝑏 𝑇 𝑏 − 2 √𝑚 𝑎 𝑇 𝑎 𝑚 𝑏 𝑇 𝑏 cosθ=𝑚 𝑌 𝑇 𝑌 −− −−−(12)

• USING Eq. (2) in Eq. (12) gives:
Mb M 2 M a M bTa Tb
Q  (1 
MY
)Tb  (1  a )Ta 
MY MY
cos  −−− −−(13)
 Energetics(Continued)
Rearrangement shows that the Eq. is quadratic in T1/2 .
( 𝑚𝑏 +𝑚𝑏 ) 𝑇 𝑏 −2 √ 𝑚𝑎 𝑚 𝑏 𝑇 𝑎 cosθ √𝑇 𝑏 − [ 𝑚𝑌 ( 𝑄+𝑇 𝑎 ) − 𝑚𝑎 𝑇 𝑎 ]=0 −−− −−(14)

The solution of this equation is then:

Double Valued?
 M a M bTa  cos   M a M bTa cos 2   (M Y  M b ) M Y Q  (M Y  M a )Ta 
1/2

Tb1/2  −−−(15)
MY  M b

Putting conditions to get the real roots:

Discriminant must be ≥ 0, otherwise roots will be imaginary, i.e.,

≥ 0 -----------(16)
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 Energetics(Continued)
• If we get two real roots, one +ve and one –ve,
– We will choose +ve root and disregard the –ve one
• Only for a certain range of Ta, we have both roots +ve.
• What we will find that:
• If Q is +ve, i.e., Q>0, 𝑀 𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑐 2 >𝑀 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑎 𝑙 𝑐2

• Then there is no threshold on T a, and

• For the root to be real and +ve, we must always choose the +ve
sign
– and the following conditions hold:
0

=> -------(17)
 Energetics(Continued)
• If Q is –ve, i.e., Q < 0,

𝑀 𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑐 2 < 𝑀 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑎 𝑙 𝑐2

• Then there is a restriction on Ta, i.e., Ta must have min value for the
reaction to occur and is called threshold energy:
𝑇 𝑎 ¿𝑚𝑖𝑛 =𝑇 𝑡h

• This minimum value of Ta can be obtained from the condition in Eq. (16)
≥ 0 -----------(16)

which always occur for θ=0 => cos0 = 1

Eq-16 ==> -------(18)

 Energetics(Continued)
• Once there is an upper limit on called for this double-valued behavior
on .
• For = , falls to zero.
• Then Eq. (15) implies that:
• -------(19)

• For double-valued behavior, combining

the result of Eq. (18) & (19) we get:

 M a M bTa  cos   M a M b Ta cos2   ( MY  M b )  MY Q  (MY  M a )Ta 

1/2

T
b
1/2

MY  Mb −−−(15)
 Energetics(Continued)
• If , there are also scattering angles for which double-valued
behavior can not exist. This happens when argument of eq. (15)
vanishes, i.e.,

= 0 -----------(20)

• ==> = -Q-(+------------------(21)

• Concepts illustrated in Kran’s Figure 11.2(a) and 11.2(b)

 Energetics(Continued)
• When = , the double value behavior occurs between θ=0 and .

• When = it occurs only near .

Tb (MeV)

Ta (MeV)
Thanks