Synthesis of new neutron-rich heavy nuclei: An experimentalist's view

TL;DR

This paper evaluates experimental methods for synthesizing new neutron-rich superheavy nuclei, analyzing radioactive beams, damped collisions, and multi-nucleon transfer reactions to assess their potential and recent experimental results.

Contribution

It provides an experimental assessment of three synthetic paths for neutron-rich superheavy nuclei, including recent data and comparisons with theoretical predictions.

Findings

Damped collision study shows formation of Au fragments and target-like depletion.

Results suggest multi-nucleon transfer reactions could produce neutron-rich isotopes.

Radioactive beam experiments have potential for synthesizing new superheavy nuclei.

Abstract

I attempt to experimentally evaluate the prospects of synthesizing new neutron- rich superheavy nuclei. I consider three possible synthetic paths to neutron- rich superheavy nuclei: (a) the use of neutron-rich radioactive beams. (b) the use of damped collisions and (c) the use of multi-nucleon transfer reactions. I consider the prospects of synthesizing new n-rich isotopes of Rf-Bh using light n-rich radioactive beams and targeted beams from ReA3, FRIB and SPIRAL2. For the damped collision path, I present the results of a study of a surrogate reaction, 160Gd + 186W. These data indicate the formation of Au (trans-target) fragments and the depletion of yields of target-like fragments by fission and fragment emission. The data are compared to predictions of Zagrebaev and Greiner. For the multi-nucleon transfer reactions, the results of a study of the 136Xe + 208Pb reaction are discussed. I consider the possibility of multi-nucleon transfer reactions with radioactive beams.