Hindered alpha decays of heaviest high-K isomers

TL;DR

This study investigates the alpha-decay hindrance in high-K isomers of superheavy nuclei, identifying specific configurations that significantly delay decay and could enable new atomic and chemical studies.

Contribution

It provides a microscopic analysis of alpha-decay hindrance in high-K isomers, highlighting the role of proton configurations and excitation energies in superheavy nuclei.

Findings

Strong hindrance observed for certain four-quasi-particle states.

Proton configurations, not neutron, primarily cause decay hindrance.

Potential for ~1 second alpha half-lives in specific isomers.

Abstract

To find candidates for long-lived high-K isomers in even-even Z=106-112 superheavy nuclei we study dominant alpha-decay channel of two- and four-quasi-particle configurations at a low excitation. Energies are calculated within the microscopic - macroscopic approach with the deformed Woods-Saxon potential. Configurations are fixed by a standard blocking procedure and their energy found by a subsequent minimization over deformations. Different excitation energies of a high-K configuration in parent and daughter nucleus seem particularly important for a hindrance of the alpha-decay. A strong hindrance is found for some four-quasi-particle states, particularly $K^{\pi} = 20^{+}$ and/or $19^{+}$ states in $^{264-270}$Ds. Contrary to what was suggested in experimental papers, it is rather a proton configuration that leads to this strong hindrance. If not shortened by the electromagnetic decay, alpha half-lives of $\sim$ 1 s could open new possibilities for studies of chemical/atomic properties of related elements.