Superdeformed and Hyperdeformed States in Z=122 Isotopes

TL;DR

This study predicts highly deformed superheavy Z=122 isotopes using relativistic and non-relativistic models, identifying shape transitions and the most stable isotope among them.

Contribution

It extends mean field calculations to a range of Z=122 isotopes, predicting shape transitions and stability, which are novel insights for this superheavy element.

Findings

All isotopes are highly deformed in the ground state.

A shape transition occurs around A=290 from oblate to prolate.

The most stable isotope predicted is $^{302}$122.

Abstract

We calculate the binding energy, root-mean-square radius and quadrupole deformation parameter for the recent, possibly discovered superheavey element Z=122, using the axially deformed relativistic mean field (RMF) and non-relativistic Skyrme Hartree-Fock (SHF) formalisms. The calculation is extended to include various isotopes of Z=122 element, strarting from A=282 to A=320. We predict highly deformed structures in the ground state for all the isotopes. A shape transition appears at about A=290 from a highly oblate to a large prolate shape, which may be considered as the superdeformed and hyperdeformed structures of Z=122 nucleus in the mean field approaches. The most stable isotope (largest binding energy per nucleon) is found to be $^{302}$122, instead of the experimentally observed $^{292}$122.