Systematic investigation of cluster radioactivity for uranium isotopes

Abstract

The most probable cluster decays that can be observed for 217–238U isotopes are investigated. We identified the more-probable decays that commonly manifest themselves via cold valleys in the driving potentials with respect to the mass number and the atomic number, individually. The calculations are performed using the Skyrme-SLy4 nucleon–nucleon interaction, within the frame work of the performed cluster model. Among the indicated favored decays that involve emitted light clusters heavier than α-particle, twenty six decay modes display calculated half-life less than 1022 years, with branching ratio larger than 10−14%. The estimated branching ratio for the α-decay of 237U, that did not observed yet, is B=2.1×10−10% (Tα=8.7×109 years). The indicated most probable decays that did not observed yet include the 22Ne decay of 232U, 25Ne and 32Si decays of 233U, 24Ne and 29Mg decays of 235U, and the 34Si and 30Mg decay modes of 238U, with 10−14<B(%)<10−7.