Alpha Decay to Doubly Magic Core in Quartetting Wave Function Approach

TL;DR

This paper presents a microscopic calculation of alpha-cluster formation and decay in heavy nuclei using a quartetting wave function approach, highlighting shell effects and comparing results with experimental data.

Contribution

It introduces an improved local density approximation considering shell structure and self-consistently derives the c.o.m. potential for alpha clusters.

Findings

Shell effects significantly influence alpha-cluster formation probabilities.

Computed alpha-decay half-lives align well with experimental data.

Analysis of magic numbers 50, 82, and 126 reveals strong shell influence.

Abstract

We present a microscopic calculation of $\alpha$-cluster formation in heavy nuclei $^{104}$Te ($\alpha$+$^{100}$Sn), $^{212}$Po ($\alpha$+$^{208}$Pb) and their neighbors $^{102}$Sn, $^{102}$Te, $^{210}$Pb and $^{210}$Po by using the quartetting wave function approach. Improving the local density approximation, the shell structure of the core nucleus is considered, and the center-of-mass (c.o.m.) effective potential for the quartet is obtained self-consistently from the shell model wavefunctions. The $\alpha$-cluster formation and decay probabilities are obtained by solving the bound-state of the c.o.m. motion of the quartet and the scattering state of the formed $\alpha$-cluster in the Gurvitz approach. Striking shell effects on the $\alpha$-cluster formation probabilities are analyzed for magic numbers 50, 82 and 126. The computed $\alpha$-decay half-lives of these special nuclei are compared with the newest experimental data.