Production Of Superheavy Elements Research Articles

Science brings nations together: Mary Good and the heaviest atoms and nuclei

Abstract The 20th century started with the realization that working together and collaborating expedites new discoveries. The Solvay Conference in 1911 brought together scientists to try to understand the real nature of matter, the new elements, and their properties. Through global conflicts, the scientists stayed in communication and organized IUPAC and IUPAP to stay current in advances internationally in chemistry and physics, respectively. The outcomes include the discovery and naming of the elements that complete the periodic table of elements and the chart of nuclides with the heavy atoms and all of their isotopes. Mary Lowe Good forged new directions in developing tools in the field of radiochemistry. She exemplified cooperation and collaboration nationally and internationally. Now the advances in the heavy elements by Yuri Ts. Oganessian and colleagues staying close to the principles of international cooperation and sharing the new information about the connection of the production of super heavy elements to the main part of the chart of nuclides. The future lies in determining whether there are more elements to be discovered and what are their chemical properties.

Advancements in the fabrication and characterization of actinide targets for superheavy element production

The heaviest elements can exclusively be produced in actinide-target based nuclear fusion reactions with intense heavy-ion beams. Ever more powerful accelerators deliver beams of continuously increasing intensity, which brings targets of current technology to their limits and beyond. We motivate efforts to produce targets with improved properties, which calls for a better understanding of targets produced by molecular plating, the current standard method. Complementary analytical methods will help shedding more light on their chemical and physical changes in the beam. Special emphasis is devoted to the aspect of the optimum target thickness and the choice of the backing material.

A few ECRIS developments at LBNL

In addition to the ongoing investigation of bremsstrahlung radiation produced by energetic electrons in the superconducting Electron Cyclotron Resonance (ECR) ion source VENUS, the LBNL ion source group has pursued several other research topics since 2015 to explore potential advancements of ECR ion sources. Three of these activities are investigations into the benefits of non-cylindrical plasma chambers, the development of new high-temperature ovens that will efficiently produce the intense, metallic ion beams necessary for super heavy element production at the 88-Inch Cyclotron facility, and the finalization of the conceptual and engineering design of the superconducting NbTi magnet structure for the 4th generation, 45 GHz ECR ion source MARS-D. This article summarizes and briefly discusses the highlights of these ECRIS developments.

Production of transuranium isotopes in Ne20 -induced incomplete fusion reactions

Using a semiclassical dynamical model that combines a classical trajectory model with stochastic breakup with a dynamical fragmentation theory treatment of two-body clusterization and decay of a projectile, results are presented for $^{20}\mathrm{Ne}$-induced incomplete fusion reactions for the production of superheavy elements. Targets include $^{247,248,250}\mathrm{Cm}$ and $^{251,252,254}\mathrm{Cf}$, and results include angular, excitation energy, and angular momentum distributions in addition to total integrated cross sections for heavy incomplete fusion products. The results show that at Coulomb energies, the studied Cf isotopes are generally the more favorable choice of target over the studied Cm isotopes for the production of `colder' and more stable $^{263}\mathrm{Lr}$, $^{263,264,266}\mathrm{Rf}$, and $^{265}\mathrm{Db}$ isotopes through the incomplete fusion mechanism. Also presented are evaporation residue cross sections for the dominant primary incomplete fusion products of each of the six reactions: $^{263,264,266}\mathrm{Rf}$ and $^{267,268,270}\mathrm{Sg}$, as well as for the primary incomplete fusion products $^{269,270,272}\mathrm{Bh}$.

Systematic Study of Quasifission in 48Ca-induced reactions

The production of superheavy elements through the fusion of two heavy nuclei is severely hindered by the quasifission process, which results in the fission of heavy systems before an equilibrated compound nucleus (CN) can be formed. The heaviest elements have been synthesised using 48Ca as the projectile nucleus. However, the use of 48Ca in the formation of new superheavy elements has been exhausted, thus a detailed understanding of the properties that made 48Ca so successful is required. Measurements of mass-angle distributions allow fission fragment mass distribution widths to be determined. The effect of the orientation of prolate deformed target nuclei is presented. Closed shells in the entrance channel are also shown to be more important than the stability of the formed CN in reducing the quasifission component, with reduced mass widths for reactions with the closed shell target nuclei 144Sm and 208Pb. Comparison to mass widths for 48Ti-induced reactions show a significant increase in the mass width compared to 48Ca-induced reactions, highlighting the difficulty faced in forming new superheavy elements using projectiles with higher atomic number than 48Ca.

Simulation of fusion and quasi-fission in nuclear reactions leading to production of superheavy elements using the Constrained Molecular Dynamics model

Fusion dynamics and the onset of quasi-fission in reactions, leading to production of superheavy nuclei are investigated using the constrained molecular dynamics model. Constraints on the parameters of the nuclear equation of state are derived from experimental fusion probabilities. The obtained constraint on the modulus of incompressibility of nuclear matter K0=240−260 MeV is consistent with the results of previous study using the Boltzmann-Uehling-Uhlenbeck equation and also with constraints derived using the recent neutron star binary collision event GW170817. Unlike the modulus of incompressibility of symmetric nuclear matter, the stiffness of the density-dependence of symmetry energy influences the fusion probability only weakly.

Entrance channel effects on the quasifission reaction channel in Cr + W systems

Background: Formation of a fully equilibrated compound nucleus is a critical step in the heavy-ion fusion reaction mechanism but can be hindered by orders of magnitude by quasifission, a process in which the dinuclear system breaks apart prior to full equilibration. To provide a complete description of heavy-ion fusion it is important to characterize the quasifission process. In particular, the impact of changing the neutron-richness of the quasifission process is not well known. A previous study of Cr + W reactions at a constant 13 % above the Coulomb barrier concluded that an increase in neutron-richness leads to a decrease in the prominence of the quasifission reaction channel. Purpose: The interplay between the fusion-fission and quasifission reaction channels, with varying neutron-richness, was explored at a constant excitation energy, closer to the interaction barrier than the previous work, to see if the correlation between neutron-richness and quasifission is valid at lower energies. Methods: Mass distributions were determined for eight different combinations of Cr + W reactions at the Australian National University at 52.0 MeV of excitation energy in the compound nucleus. Results: A curvature parameter was determined for the fission-like fragment mass distributions and compared to various reaction parameters known to influence quasifission. Conclusions: The present work demonstrates that at energies near the interaction barrier the deformation effects dominate over the neutron-richness effects in the competition between quasifission and compound nucleus formation in these Cr + W systems and is an important consideration for future with heavy and superheavy element production reactions.

Opportunities for nuclear reaction studies at future facilities

Opportunities for investigations of nuclear reactions at the future nuclear physics facilities such as radioactive ion beam facilities and high-power laser facilities are considered. Post-accelerated radioactive ion beams offer possibilities for study of the role of isospin asymmetry in the reaction mechanisms at various beam energies. Fission barrier heights of neutron-deficient nuclei can be directly determined at low energies. Post-accelerated radioactive ion beams, specifically at the future facilities such as HIE-ISOLDE, SPIRAL-2 or RAON-RISP can be also considered as a candidate for production of very neutron-rich nuclei via mechanism of multi-nucleon transfer. High-power laser facilities such as ELI-NP offer possibilities for nuclear reaction studies with beams of unprecedented properties. Specific cases such as ternary reactions or even production of super-heavy elements are considered.

Investigating the fusion enhancement for neutron-rich mid-mass nuclei using the dynamical cluster-decay model

The mechanism involved in compound nucleus formation through heavy ion induced fusion reactions at near- and sub-barrier energies has been stimulating the interest of both experimentalists and theoreticians. The study of fusion reactions is important not only for the production of superheavy elements but also to unfold the mysteries involved in the evolution of neutron stars and nucleosynthesis of elements in astrophysical scenarios. The detection of gravitational waves originating from the merging of two black holes, and the possibility of observing similar events originating from black-hole--neutron-star mergers, highlighted the necessity of understanding the behavior of neutron-rich nuclear matter. One of the potential methods to understand the character of neutron-rich matter is through the study of fusion of an isotopic chain of reactions. Recently, the first experimental evidence of fusion enhancement at near-barrier energies for neutron-rich nuclei was reported for the light and mid-mass regime. To understand the dynamics involved in such reactions, the investigation of K-induced reactions has been performed using the quantum mechanical fragmentation based dynamical cluster-decay model (DCM). The experimental fusion cross sections of $^{39,47}\mathrm{K}+^{28}\mathrm{Si}$ are reproduced using DCM and, further, the fusion cross sections are predicted for other isotopes of K beam on $^{28}\mathrm{Si}$ to investigate the fusion enhancement as a function of neutron number. It has been observed that fusion enhancement is significant at near-barrier energies for neutron-rich nuclei. The fusion enhancement observed is larger for odd neutron number nuclei as compared to adjacent neutron nuclei. This indicates the influence of unpaired neutrons on fusion cross sections. Also, the fusion cross sections predicted in the present work will act as input for planning more experimental measurements.

Isotopic trends of quasifission and fusion-fission in the reactions Ca48+Pu239,244

Background: Quasifission and fusion-fission are primary mechanisms to prevent the production of superheavy elements. The recent experimental measurements reveal that the fusion-evaporation cross section in the $3n$ reaction channel of $^{48}$Ca+$^{239}$Pu is 50 times lower than using $^{244}$Pu as target nucleus. However, the precise mechanisms of this remarkable isotopic dependence are not well understood. Purpose: To understand the experimental observation of the rapid decrease of stability of superheavy nuclei as the neutron number decreases, the theoretical studies of quasifission and fusion-fission in connection with experimental production for $Z$=114 flerovium isotopes are required to investigate the possible differences in reaction mechanisms induced by these two targets. Methods: We propose an approach called TDHF+HIVAP to take into account both the evolution of dinuclear system and the deexcitation of compound nucleus, which combines the microscopic time-dependent Hartree-Fock (TDHF) method for the fusion and quasifission dynamics with the statistical evaporation model HIVAP for fusion-fission dynamics. Results: ......The quantum shell effect displays a crucial role in both the quasifission and the fusion-fission processes. The quasifission is considerably reduced and the survival probability is enhanced around one order of magnitude in the reaction using $^{244}$Pu target as compared to the $^{239}$Pu case. Conclusions: The studies by using TDHF+HIVAP method well account for the experimental observations and the present method clearly shows its applicability in the reaction mechanisms of quasifission and fusion-fission dynamics. The experimental and theoretical results encourage the use of neutron-rich targets for the production of new superheavy elements.

β-delayed Fission in r-process Nucleosynthesis

Abstract We present β-delayed neutron emission and β-delayed fission (βdf) calculations for heavy, neutron-rich nuclei using the coupled Quasi-Particle Random Phase Approximation plus Hauser-Feshbach (QRPA+HF) approach. From the initial population of a compound nucleus after β-decay, we follow the statistical decay, taking into account competition between neutrons, γ-rays, and fission. We find a region of the chart of nuclides where the probability of βdf is ∼100%, which likely prevents the production of superheavy elements in nature. For a subset of nuclei near the neutron dripline, neutron multiplicity and the probability of fission are both large, leading to the intriguing possibility of multi-chance βdf, a decay mode for extremely neutron-rich heavy nuclei. In this decay mode, β-decay can be followed by multiple neutron emission, leading to subsequent daughter generations that each have a probability to fission. We explore the impact of βdf in rapid neutron-capture process (r-process) nucleosynthesis in the tidal ejecta of a neutron star–neutron star merger and show that it is a key fission channel that shapes the final abundances near the second r-process peak.

Constraining the equation of state of nuclear matter from fusion hindrance in reactions leading to the production of superheavy elements

The mechanism of fusion hindrance, an effect preventing the synthesis of superheavy elements in the reactions of cold and hot fusion, is investigated using the Boltzmann-Uehling-Uhlenbeck equation, where Coulomb interaction is introduced. A strong sensitivity is observed both to the modulus of incompressibility of symmetric nuclear matter, controlling the competition of surface tension and Coulomb repulsion, and to the stiffness of the density-dependence of symmetry energy, influencing the formation of the neck prior to scission. The experimental fusion probabilities were for the first time used to derive constraints on the nuclear equation of state. A strict constraint on the modulus of incompressibility of nuclear matter $K_0 = 240 - 260$ MeV is obtained while the stiff density-dependences of the symmetry energy ($\gamma>1.$) are rejected.

Synthesis of superheavy elements: Uncertainty analysis to improve the predictive power of reaction models

Background: Synthesis of super-heavy elements is performed by heavy-ion fusion-evaporation reactions. However , fusion is known to be hindered with respect to what can be observed with lighter ions. Thus some delicate ambiguities remain on the fusion mechanism that eventually lead to severe discrepancies in the calculated formation probabilities coming from different fusion models. Purpose: In the present work, we propose a general framework based upon uncertainty analysis in the hope of constraining fusion models. Method: To quantify uncertainty associated with the formation probability, we propose to propagate uncertainties in data and parameters using the Monte-Carlo method in combination with a cascade code called KEWPIE2, with the aim of determining the associated uncertainty, namely the 95% confidence interval. We also investigate the impact of different models or options, which cannot be modeled by continuous probability distributions, on the final results. An illustrative example is presented in detail and then a systematic study is carried out for a selected set of cold-fusion reactions. Results: It has been rigorously shown that, at the 95% confidence level, the total uncertainty of the empirical formation probability appears comparable to the discrepancy between calculated values. Conclusions: The results obtained from the present study provide a direct evidence for predictive limitations of the existing fusion-evaporation models. It is thus necessary to find other ways to assess such models for the purpose of establishing a more reliable reaction theory, which is expected to guide future experiments on the production of super-heavy elements.

Entrance channel effects in superheavy element production

The difference between evaporation residue cross sections measured in the cold (X+ 208 Pb, 209 Bi) and hot ( 48 Ca+actinides) fusion reactions can be related to the stage of compound nucleus (CN) formation and/or to the stage of its survival against fission. The cold fusion reactions are favorable in synthesis of the superheavy elements (SHE) with charge numbers Z< 112 in comparison with the hot fusion reactions due to small excitation energy and large fission barrier of the CN formed in these reactions. The strong decrease of the cross sections of the synthesis of the SHE Z = 113 in the cold fusion reactions in comparison with the ones in the hot fusion reactions is the result of the increase of hindrance to the CN formation in the cold fusion reactions. The origin of the intrinsic fusion barrier, B ∗ , causing the strong decrease of the probability PCN in the cold fusion is discussed.

Quasifission in heavy and superheavy element formation reactions

Superheavy elements are created in the laboratory by the fusion of two heavy nuclei. The large Coulomb repulsion that makes superheavy elements decay also makes the fusion process that forms them very unlikely. Instead, after sticking together for a short time, the two nuclei usually come apart, in a process called quasifission. Mass-angle distributions give the most direct information on the characteristics and time scales of quasifission. A systematic study of carefully chosen mass-angle distributions has provided information on the global trends of quasifission. Large deviations from these systematics reveal the major role played by the nuclear structure of the two colliding nuclei in determining the reaction outcome, and thus implicitly in hindering or favouring superheavy element production.

Fusion and fission of heavy and superheavy nuclei (experiment)

The scope of this review is to summarize the main advancements in the search of signatures of the compound nucleus fission and quasifission processes in heavy and superheavy systems. The understanding of fusion and fission in heavy and superheavy elements is needed for tracing paths aimed at reaching the island of stability situated near Z=114–122 and N=184. With increasing charge of the interacting nuclei other processes, like quasifission, emerge and compete against fusion. Hence also their study must be pursued. After a brief look at the experimental techniques, the behavior of several observables is extracted from the most recent data to aid in the disentanglement of the various competing processes which hinder the production of superheavy elements.

The production of transuranium elements by the r-process nucleosynthesis

The production of super-heavy transuranium elements by stellar nucleosynthesis processes remains an open question. The most promising process that could potentially give rise to the formation of such elements is the so-called rapid neutron-capture process, or r-process, known to be at the origin of approximately half of the A>60 stable nuclei observed in nature. However, despite important efforts, the astrophysical site of the r-process remains unidentified. Here, we study the r-process nucleosynthesis in material that is dynamically ejected by tidal and pressure forces during the merging of binary neutron stars. Neutron star mergers could potentially be the dominant r-process site in the Galaxy, but also due to the extreme neutron richness found in such environment, could potentially synthesise super-heavy elements. R-process nucleosynthesis during the decompression is known to be largely insensitive to the detailed astrophysical conditions because of efficient fission recycling, producing a composition that closely follows the solar r-abundance distribution for nuclei with mass numbers A>140. During the neutron irradiation, nuclei up to charge numbers Z≃110 and mass number A≃340 are produced, with a major peak production at the N=184 shell closure, i.e. around A≃280. Super-heavy nuclei with Z>110 can hardly be produced due to the efficient fission taking place along those isotopic chains. Long-lived transuranium nuclei are inevitably produced by the r-process. The predictions concerning the production of transuranium nuclei remain however very sensitive to the predictions of fission barrier heights for such super-heavy nuclei. More nuclear predictions within different microscopic approaches are needed.

Direct evidence of “washing out” of nuclear shell effects

Constraining excitation energy at which nuclear shell effect washes out has important implications on the production of super heavy elements and many other fields of nuclear physics research. We report the fission fragment mass distribution in alpha induced reaction on an actinide target for wide excitation range in close energy interval and show direct evidence that nuclear shell effect washes out at excitation energy ~40 MeV. Calculation shows that second peak of the fission barrier also vanishes around similar excitation energy.

Prospects for the discovery of the next new element: Influence of projectiles with Z > 20

The possibility of forming new superheavy elements with projectiles having Z > 20 is discussed. Current research has focused on the fusion of 48Ca with actinide targets, but these reactions cannot be used for new element discoveries in the future due to a lack of available target material. The influence on reaction cross sections of projectiles with Z > 20 have been studied in so-called analog reactions, which utilize lanthanide targets carefully chosen to create compound nuclei with energetics similar to those found in superheavy element production. The reactions 48Ca, 45Sc, 50Ti, 54Cr + 159Tb, 162Dy have been studied at the Cyclotron Institute at Texas A&M University using the Momentum Achromat Recoil Spectrometer. The results of these experimental studies are discussed in terms of the influence of collective enhancements to level density for compound nuclei near closed shells, and the implications for the production of superheavy elements. We have observed no evidence to contradict theoretical predictions that the maximum cross section for the 249Cf(50Ti, 4n)295120 and 248Cm(54Cr, 4n)298120 reactions should be in the range of 10-100 fb.

Prediction of the thermal release of transactinide elements (112 ≤Z≤ 116) from metals

AbstractMetallic catcher foils have been investigated on their thermal release capabilities for future superheavy element studies. These catcher materials shall serve as connection between production and chemical investigation of superheavy elements (SHE) at vacuum conditions. The diffusion constants and activation energies of diffusion have been extrapolated for various catcher materials using an atomic volume based model. Release rates can now be estimated for predefined experimental conditions using the determined diffusion values. The potential release behavior of the volatile SHE Cn (E112), E113, Fl (E114), E115, and Lv (E116) from polycrystalline, metallic foils of Ni, Y, Zr, Nb, Mo, Hf, Ta, and W is predicted. Example calculations showed that Zr is the best suited material in terms of on-line release efficiency and long-term operation stability. If higher temperatures up to 2773 K are applicable, tungsten is suggested to be the material of choice for such experiments.