Approaching the Island of Stability --- Walking on Firm Grounds

Abstract

The research in the field of superheavy elements started in the sixties of the last century triggered by the prediction of a region of enhanced nuclear stability at the next closed proton and neutron shells beyond 208Pb. Adam Sobiczewski was one of the first predicting proton and neutron numbers for these shell closures at Z = 114 and N = 184, respectively. In the following decades, extensive efforts led to the synthesis of isotopes of elements up to Z = 118 in a fruitful competition of the leading laboratories in the field with FLNR/JINR in Dubna, Russia, LBNL in Berkeley, USA, GSI in Darmstadt, Germany and most recently RIKEN in Wako (Tokyo), Japan. Beyond the synthesis of new elements and isotopes, substantial activities were dedicated to nuclear structure studies, laying the basis for the understanding of this exotic nuclear matter. In-beam spectroscopy as well as decay spectroscopy after separation (DSAS) together with the support by theory have the potential to lay the basis for a successful approach of the so-called island of stability, the firm grounds, the creation of which had been started by pioneers like Adam Sobiczewski in the beginning of the second half of last century. In this paper, some of the achievements mainly of DSAS will be presented, with an emphasis on the guidance by theory and the work of Adam Sobiczewski, to whom this paper is dedicated.