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| Nuclear physics |
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Spontaneous fission (SF) is a form of radioactive decay in which a heavy atomic nucleus splits into two or more lighter nuclei. In contrast to induced fission, there is no inciting particle to trigger the decay; it is a purely probabilistic process.
Spontaneous fission is a dominant decay mode for superheavy elements, with nuclear stability generally falling as nuclear mass increases. It thus forms a practical limit to heavy element nucleon number. Heavier nuclides may be created instantaneously by physical processes, both natural (via the r-process) and artificial, though rapidly decay to more stable nuclides. As such, apart from minor decay branches in primordial radionuclides, spontaneous fission is not observed in nature.
Observed fission half-lives range from 60 nanoseconds (252
104Rf
) to greater than the current age of the universe (232
90Th
).[1][2]: 16
- ^ Khuyagbaatar, J.; Mosat, P.; Ballof, J.; et al. (21 November 2024). "Stepping into the sea of instability: The new sub-𝜇s superheavy nucleus 252Rf". Physical Review Letters.
- ^ Schunck, Nicolas; Regnier, David (1 July 2022). "Theory of nuclear fission". Progress in Particle and Nuclear Physics. 125. arXiv:2201.02719. Bibcode:2022PrPNP.12503963S. doi:10.1016/j.ppnp.2022.103963.