Production of Stable Isotopes by Selective Channel Photofission of Pd

A conservative modeling and analysis were attempted to explain the presence of nonradioactive fission-like products with nonnatural isotopic ratios observed in some D2O/Pd electrolysis experiments. The collective deformation of a Pd nucleus by multiphoton E1 resonance absorption in a dynamic PdDx lattice was assumed to induce low-energy photofissions via the selective scission channels within the lowest band (11–20 MeV) of channel-dependent fission barriers. Values of channel dependent fission barriers were calculated by using liquid drop model potentials for Pd isotopes. Fission products were analyzed in detail. Major fission products (FPs) are stable isotopes and the isotopic ratios of FP elements are very different from those of natural abundances. The present theoretical results have shown good agreement with the experimental data of Mizuno et al. [Denki Kagaku 64 (1996) 1660] and others in terms of Z -distribution, mass distribution and isotopic ratios. Selective channel photofissions with positive Q-values are possible for A > 90 nuclei, which may provide us with a clean method for the incineration for the radio isotope (RI) waste of nuclear plants.