SPONTANEOUS FISSION

The spontaneous fission (SF) of the heaviest actinides and the transac tinides is of particular interest, because of the dramatic changes in properties observed in the region of the heavy fermium isotopes and fo r still heavier elements. The existing experimental information on SF properties, including half-life systematics, fragment kinetic energy a nd mass yield distributions, prompt neutron emission and gamma emissio n, will be reviewed. Possibilities for extending studies of SF propert ies to other regions are considered, and the potential for obtaining a dditional information about low-energy fission properties is discussed .