Production of super-heavy nuclei in cold fusion reactions

TL;DR

This paper presents a model for cold fusion reactions in synthesizing super-heavy nuclei, considering two formation paths and matching experimental cross sections.

Contribution

It introduces a combined model accounting for di-nuclear transfer and fusion pathways, improving understanding of super-heavy element production.

Findings

Fusion pathway dominates compound nucleus formation.

Model predictions align well with experimental data.

Potential energy landscape analysis elucidates intermediate states.

Abstract

The model for the cold-fusion reactions related to the synthesis of super-heavy nuclei in collisions of heavy projectile-nuclei with $^{208}$Pb target nucleus is discussed. In the framework of this model the production of the compound nucleus by two paths through, the di-nuclear system and the fusion way, are taken into account simultaneously. The formation of the compound nucleus in the framework of the di-nuclear system is related to the transfer of nucleons from the light nucleus to the heavy one. The fusion way is linked to the sequential evolution of the nuclear shape from the system of contacting nuclei to the compound nucleus. It is shown that the compound nucleus is mainly formed by the fusion way in the cold-fusion reactions. The landscape of the potential energy related to the fusion path is discussed in detail. This landscape for very heavy nucleus-nucleus systems has the intermediate state, which is linked to the formation of both the compound nucleus and the quasi-fission fragments. The decay of the intermediate state is taken into account in the calculation of the compound nucleus production cross sections and the quasi-fission cross sections. The values of the cold-fusion cross sections obtained in the model are well agreed with the experimental data.