$\alpha$ Clustering slightly above ${}^{100}$Sn in the Light of the New Experimental Data on the Superallowed $\alpha$ Decay

Abstract

The recently observed $\alpha$-decay chain ${}^{108}\text{Xe}\to{}^{104}\text{Te}\to{}^{100}\text{Sn}$ [K.~Auranen \emph{et al.}, Phys.\ Rev.\ Lett.\ {\bf121}, 182501 (2018)] could provide valuable information on the $\alpha$ clustering in even-even nuclei slightly above the major shells $Z=50$ and $N=50$. In this work, this $\alpha$-decay chain is studied theoretically within the framework of the density-dependent cluster model plus the two-potential approach. We calculate the $\alpha$-decay half-lives of ${}^{104}$Te and ${}^{108}$Xe and study in detail their dependence on the $Q$ value and the density-profile parameters of the core nucleus. Various physical properties of ${}^{104}$Te, the heaviest nucleus with a doubly magic self-conjugate core $+$ $\alpha$, are calculated, with two different assumptions on the renormalization factor of the double-folding potential, which could be a useful reference for future experimental studies.