Cluster radioactivity within the collective fragmentation approach using different mass tables and related deformations

Abstract

The cluster decay of radioactive nuclei with mass $$^{221}\hbox {Fr}{\le }\hbox {A}{\le }^{252}\hbox {Cf}$$ decaying to lead and near-lead daughters are investigated considering four different sets of binding energies given by Moller et al. (At Data Nucl Data Tables 59:185, 1995) (MN1995), Moller et al. (At Data Nucl Data Tables 109:1, 2016) (MS2016) and Wang et al. (Phys Rev C 81:044322, 2010) (NW2010) with corresponding deformation parameters and experimentally measured data in 2017 (EX2017) considering deformations of the MN1995, MS2016 and NW2010 formalisms. The calculations are carried out using the preformed cluster-decay model based on the collective clusterization approach, which is inherited from the quantum mechanical fragmentation theory. With the incorporation of quadrupole deformations along with optimum cold orientations, the fragmentation potential changes for different choices of binding energy data and hence the preformation probability ($${P}_{0}$$) of the clusters get accordingly modified. The calculated half-lives of the cluster decays find reasonable agreement with the experimental data using the MS2016 formalism. Applying MS2016, the prediction of half-lives of some competing clusters (not measured so far) from known parents is also made in the lead and near-lead region, which could possibly provide new edges for cluster-decay measurements. Further, the role of axial deformations ($$\beta _{2}$$–$$\beta _{4}$$) from various formalisms along with cold elongated configurations of decay products is analyzed in view of cluster emission from the radioactive nuclei considered. The fragmentation profile calculated using MN1995, MS2016 and NW2010 gets significantly influenced when $$\beta _{2}$$-deformations are replaced with $$\beta _{2}$$–$$\beta _{4}$$ deformations. Nearly $$32\%$$ of the clusters are not observed in the decay path using theoretical binding energies and deformation parameters of MN1995, which reduces to $$16\%$$ for MS2016 and $$7\%$$ for NW2010.