Shell closure effects studied via cluster decay in heavy nuclei

TL;DR

This paper investigates shell closure effects in heavy nuclei through cluster decay analysis using the Preformed Cluster Model, predicting new decay modes and comparing results with experimental data.

Contribution

It extends the cluster radioactivity concept to various nuclei with magic or doubly magic daughters, including a novel prediction for $^{218}U$ decay.

Findings

Calculated half-lives agree with observed data.

Branching ratios for cluster and alpha decay are analyzed.

Predicted new cluster decay mode in $^{218}U$.

Abstract

The effects of shell closure in nuclei via the cluster decay is studied. In this context, we have made use of the Preformed Cluster Model ($PCM$) of Gupta and collaborators based on the Quantum Mechanical Fragmentation Theory. The key point in the cluster radioactivity is that it involves the interplay of close shell effects of parent and daughter. Small half life for a parent indicates shell stabilized daughter and long half life indicates the stability of the parent against the decay. In the cluster decay of trans lead nuclei observed so far, the end product is doubly magic lead or its neighbors. With this in our mind we have extended the idea of cluster radioactivity. We investigated decay of different nuclei where Zirconium is always taken as a daughter nucleus, which is very well known deformed nucleus. The branching ratio of cluster decay and $\alpha$-decay is also studied for various nuclei, leading to magic or almost doubly magic daughter nuclei. The calculated cluster decay half-life are in well agreement with the observed data. First time a possibility of cluster decay in $^{218}U$ nucleus is predicted.