A Statistical Approach to Describe Highly Excited Heavy and Superheavy Nuclei

TL;DR

This paper introduces a statistical model based on Weisskopf evaporation theory to describe the de-excitation of highly excited heavy and superheavy nuclei, accounting for particle evaporation and fission, and successfully reproduces experimental data.

Contribution

It develops a new statistical approach incorporating structure effects to model de-excitation processes of heavy nuclei, including superheavy elements.

Findings

Successfully reproduces excitation functions for $^{28}$Si+$^{198}$Pt reaction.

Provides insights into particle evaporation and fission competition in heavy nuclei.

Enhances understanding of de-excitation mechanisms in superheavy nuclei.

Abstract

A statistical approach based on the Weisskopf evaporation theory has been developed to describe the de-excitation process of highly excited heavy and superheavy nuclei, in particular for the proton-rich nuclei. The excited nucleus is cooled by evaporating $\gamma$-ray, light particles (neutrons, protons, $\alpha$ etc) in competition with the binary fission, in which the structure effects (shell correction, fission barrier, particle separation energy) contribute to the processes. The formation of residual nuclei is evaluated via sequential emission of possible particles above the separation energies. The available data of fusion-evaporation excitation functions in the $^{28}$Si+$^{198}$Pt reaction can be reproduced nicely well within the approach.