The α-nucleus potential for fusion and decay

Abstract

The α-nucleus fusion cross sections at energies around and below the barrier and the α-decay half lives are calculated in the semi-classical WKB approach using the same microscopic as well as empirical α-nucleus potentials. The microscopic potential is generated within the double-folding framework using M3Y nucleon–nucleon interaction along with the required neutron and proton density distributions calculated in the relativistic mean field theory. It is found that in spite of the excellent results for the half lives the fusion cross sections are underestimated by almost a factor of 3. However, the experimental fusion cross sections can be reproduced by introducing a norm factor (overall multiplicative factor to the potential) 1.3 but this then worsens the agreement for half lives. To verify this observation and for comparison the calculations are repeated using some of the representative empirical potentials available in the literature. The same conclusion emerged. The present study thus indicates that the same α-nucleus potential may yield accurate description for both the α-nucleus fusion cross sections and α-decay half lives only with the introduction of additional parameter(s).