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ISOLDE Seminar
Super-heavy isotopes research at GSI
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Europe/Zurich
26-1-022 (CERN)
26-1-022
CERN
Description
Since the early days of the development of the nuclear shell model, the prediction of a region of enhanced stability around the next doubly-magic nucleus beyond 208Pb, provides a strong driving force in the exploration of ever heavier nuclei. The so-called "Island of stability of superheavy elements" is still a recurring pattern in current theoretical approaches used to describe nuclear ground state phenomena.
Experimentalists have embarked into the uncharted seas "north-east" of the heaviest nuclei found on earth and discovered nuclei with finite lifetimes, often even ranging up to seconds, minutes, or even longer for elements with Z up to 112, 114, or even 116, suggesting that the Island of Stability may in fact be connected to the mainland. Element 116 is the heaviest element officially recognized by the IUPAC, with some heavier ones being claimed in the literature. Half-lives start to increase again in the heaviest nuclei, especially as more and more neutron-rich isotopes are studied, validating the concept of the Island of Stability and suggesting that we have reached its shoreline.
At GSI Darmstadt, studies of superheavy elements are one of the pillars of the research program and exploit a unique combination of experimental facilities that allows addressing key questions in SHE research, including i) the synthesis of the heaviest elements, ii) nuclear reaction studies, iii) nuclear structure investigations with a focus on nuclear isomerism in deformed nuclei with Z~100-110, iv) the direct identification of the atomic number of nuclides produced in 48Ca-induced fusion reactions with actinide targets, v) chemical properties of the transactinide elements, and vi) direct mass measurements beyond fermium.
In my talk, I will introduce the field of superheavy element research in general and then give a few examples on recent experiments, focusing on the search for new elements beyond the heaviest claimed element with Z=118.
