Structural and decay properties of nuclei appearing in the α-decay chains of 296,298,300,302,304120 within the relativistic mean field formalism

Abstract

An extensive study of [Formula: see text]-decay half-lives for various decay chains of isotopes of [Formula: see text] is performed within the axially deformed relativistic mean-field (RMF) formalism by employing the NL3, NL3[Formula: see text], and DD-ME2 parameter set. The structural properties of the nuclei appearing in the decay chains are explored. The binding energy, quadrupole deformation parameter, root-mean-square charge radius, and pairing energy are calculated for the even–even isotopes of [Formula: see text], which are produced in five different [Formula: see text]-decay chains, namely, [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text]. A superdeformed prolate ground state is observed for the heavier nuclei, and gradually the deformation decreases towards the lighter nuclei in the considered decay chains. The RMF results are compared with various theoretical predictions and experimental data. The [Formula: see text]-decay energies are calculated for each decay chain. To determine the relative numerical dependency of the half-life for a specific [Formula: see text]-decay energy, the decay half-lives are calculated using four different formulas, namely, Viola–Seaborg, Alex–Brown, Parkhomenko–Sobiczewski and Royer for the above said five [Formula: see text]-decay chain. We notice a firm dependency of the half-life on the [Formula: see text]-decay formula in terms of [Formula: see text]-values for all decay chains. Further, this study also strengthens the prediction for the island of stability in terms of magic number at the superheavy valley in the laboratories.