Alpha decay chains from superheavy nuclei

Abstract

Magic islands for extra-stable nuclei in the midst of the sea of fission-instability were predicted to be around Z=114, 124 or, 126 with N=184, and Z=120, with N=172. Whether these fission-survived superheavy nuclei with high Z and N would live long enough for detection or, undergo alpha-decay in a very short time remains an open question. Alpha-decay half lives of nuclei with 130 < Z < 100 have been calculated in a WKB framework using density-dependent M3Y interaction with Q-values from different mass formulae. The results are in excellent agreement with the experimental data. Fission survived Sg nuclei with Z=106, N=162 is predicted to have the highest alpha-decay half life ~ 3.2 hrs in the Z=106-108, N=160-164 region called, small island/peninsula. Superheavy nuclei with Z > 118 are found to have alpha-decay half lives of the order of microseconds or, less.