Evidence for a long-lived superheavy nucleus with atomic mass number A=292 and atomic number Z=~122 in natural Th

TL;DR

This study presents evidence for a long-lived superheavy isotope with atomic number around 122 and mass number 292 in natural thorium, indicating the potential existence of a new class of long-lived high-spin isomeric states.

Contribution

The paper reports the detection of a superheavy nucleus in natural thorium, supporting the existence of long-lived isomeric states in superheavy elements.

Findings

Detection of a superheavy isotope with A=292 in natural Th

Estimated half-life of at least 10^8 years

Potential identification of high-spin super- and hyperdeformed isomeric states

Abstract

Evidence for the existence of a superheavy nucleus with atomic mass number A=292 and abundance (1-10)x10^(-12) relative to 232Th has been found in a study of natural Th using inductively coupled plasma-sector field mass spectrometry. The measured mass matches the predictions [1,2] for the mass of an isotope with atomic number Z=122 or a nearby element. Its estimated half-life of t1/2 >= 10^8 y suggests that a long-lived isomeric state exists in this isotope. The possibility that it might belong to a new class of long-lived high spin super- and hyperdeformed isomeric states is discussed.[3-6]