Neutron Yields from Uranium Isotopes in Uranium Hexafluoride

Neutron yields in UF6 arising from the ¹⁹F(α, n)²²Na reaction and spontaneous fission of ²³⁸U are reported. Passive neutron counting in nearly 4π geometry was used to measure the absolute yields from eight small UF6 samples of varying isotopic composition. The specific yields for ²³⁴U and ²³⁸U are in excellent agreement with values calculated from thick target excitation functions for fluorine. The values of the specific yield from the four uranium isotopes are also in reasonable agreement with recent measurements utilizing a similar technique.