Virtual photon theory in electrofission

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Abstract
The process of nuclear fission induced by electrons or other charged leptons is analyzed using distorted electron wave functions and interpreted in terms of virtual photon exchange, thus relating electrofission to photofission. Comparison of cross sections and fission fragment angular distributions for photofission, electrofission, and positrofission is shown to lead to reasonable conclusions in terms of the contributions of different multipoles and intermediate states. The effects of electron distortion are found to be considerable. As a method of analysis of fission, especially near threshold, inclusive and exclusive electrofission experiments and also the ratio of electron to positron cross sections promise good results.