Superdeformed Oblate Superheavy Nuclei?

TL;DR

This study investigates the stability of superdeformed oblate superheavy nuclei with atomic number Z≥120 using macroscopic-microscopic and Hartree-Fock models, highlighting potential detectability despite short half-lives.

Contribution

It provides a systematic analysis of superdeformed oblate shapes in superheavy nuclei, including high-K isomers, using advanced theoretical models to predict stability and decay properties.

Findings

Superdeformed oblate superheavy nuclei with Z≥120 are predicted to be metastable.

High-K isomers may have longer half-lives, increasing experimental detectability.

Decay hindrances could allow observation despite short calculated half-lives.

Abstract

We study stability of superdeformed oblate (SDO) superheavy $Z\geq 120$ nuclei predicted by systematic macroscopic-microscopic calculations in 12D deformation space and confirmed by the Hartree-Fock calculations with the realistic SLy6 force. We include into consideration high-$K$ isomers that very likely form at the SDO shape. Although half-lives $T_{1/2}\lesssim10^{-5}$ s are calclulated or estimated for even-even spin zero systems, decay hindrances known for high-$K$ isomers suggest that some SDO superheavy nuclei may be detectable by the present experimental technique.