A. S. Pradeep | Searcharxiv

arXiv2024

Observation of near-scission "polar" and "equatorial" proton emission in heavy-ion induced fission

Proton and $α$-particle energy spectra were measured in coincidence with fission fragments at different relative angles in $^{16}$O (96 MeV) + $^{232}$Th reaction. The multiplicity spectra were analyzed within the framework of a Moving Source Disentangling Analysis (MSDA) to determine contributions from different emission stages. The MSDA conclusively shows ``Near Scission Emission (NSE)" as an essential component in the multiplicity spectra. In contrast to NSE $α$ particles which emit mainly perpendicular (``equatorial emission"), the NSE protons are observed to be emitted perpendicular as well as parallel (``polar emission") to the fission axis with similar intensities ($\sim$20\% for each). Thus, around 40\% of total pre-scission protons are emitted near the scission stage, whereas the same fraction for $α$ particles is only around 10\%. The inevitable presence of ``polar" and ``equatorial" NSE protons in a heavy-ion induced fission has been observed for the first time. Present results open up a new avenue to study the heavy-ion induced fission dynamics.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2021

Structural and decay properties of nuclei appearing in the $α$-decay chains of $^{296,298,300,302,304}$120 within the relativistic mean-field formalism

An extensive study of $α$-decay half-lives for various decay chains of isotopes of $Z$ = 120 is performed within the axially deformed relativistic mean-field (RMF) formalism by employing the NL3, NL3$^*$, and DD-ME2 parameter set. The structural properties of the nuclei appearing in the decay chains are explored. The binding energy, quadrupole deformation parameter, root-mean-square charge radius, and pairing energy are calculated for the even-even isotopes of $Z$ = 100 $-$ 120, which are produced in five different $α$-decay chains, namely, $^{296}$120 $\rightarrow$ $^{260}$No, $^{298}$120 $\rightarrow$ $^{262}$No, $^{300}$120 $\rightarrow$ $^{264}$No, $^{302}$120 $\rightarrow$ $^{266}$No, and $^{304}$120 $\rightarrow$ $^{268}$No. A superdeformed prolate ground state is observed for the heavier nuclei, and gradually the deformation decreases towards the lighter nuclei in the considered decay chains. The RMF results are compared with various theoretical predictions and experimental data. The $α$-decay energies are calculated for each decay chain. To determine the relative numerical dependency of the half-life for a specific $α$-decay energy, the decay half-lives are calculated using four different formulas, namely, Viola-Seaborg, Alex-Brown, Parkhomenko-Sobiczewski, and Royer for the above said five $α$-decay chain. We notice a firm dependency of the half-life on the $α$-decay formula in terms of $Q_α$-values for all decay chains. Further, the present study also strengthens the prediction for the island of stability in terms of magic number at the superheavy valley in the laboratories.

nucl-th↗