On the excitation energy of the ground state in the third minimum of U-234

The U-233(d,pf)U-234 reaction has been studied with high energy resolution. The observed fission resonances in the excitation energy range of 4.75 les s than or equal to E* less than or equal to 5.40 MeV were described as memb ers of rotational bands with rotational parameters characteristic to the hy perdeformed nuclear shape ((h) over bar(2)/2 theta = 2.1 +/- 0.2 keV). Info rmation on the K values of the bands has been obtained from fission fragmen t angular distribution measurements. The level density of the most strongly excited J = 3 states has been compared to the prediction of the back-shift ed Fermi-gas formula and the energy of the ground state in the third minimu m has been estimated to be E-III = 3.1 +/- 0.4 MeV. (C) 1999 Published by E lsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.