Closed-shell effects from the stability and instability of nuclei against cluster decays in the mass regions 130–158 and 180–198

Abstract

The stability and/or instability of the deformed and superdeformed nuclei, $^{133-137}_{60}$Nd, $^{144-158}_{64}$Gd, $^{176-194}_{80}$Hg, and $^{192-198}_{82}$Pb parents, coming from three regions of different superdeformations, are studied with respect to the $\alpha$ and heavy cluster decays. The $\alpha$-decay studies also include the heavier $^{199-210}$Pb nuclei, for reasons of spherical magic shells at Z=82 and N=126. The calculations are made by using the preformed cluster-decay model, and the obtained $\alpha$-decay half-lives are compared with the available experimental data. Having met with a very good success for the comparisons of $\alpha$-decay half-lives and in giving the associated known magic or sub-magic closed shell structures of both the parent nuclei and daughter products, the interplay of closed shell effects in the cluster-decay calculations is investigated. The cluster-decay calculations also give the closed shell effects of known spherical magicities, both for the parent and daughter nuclei, and further predict new (deformed) closed shells at Z=72-74 and N=96-104 due to both the stability and instability of Hg and Pb parents against cluster decays. Specifically, a new deformed daughter radioactivity is predicted for various cluster decays of $^{186-190}$Hg and $^{194,195}$Pb parents with the best possible measurable cases identified as the $^8$Be and $^{12}$C decays of $^{176,177}$Hg and/or $^{192}$Pb parents. The predicted decay half-lives are within the measurable limits of the present experimental methods. The interesting point to note is that the parents with measurable cluster decay rates are normal deformed nuclei at the transition between normal and super-deformation.