Alpha-decay chains of $^{288}_{173}115$ and $^{287}_{172}115$ in the Relativistic Mean Field theory

Abstract

In the recent experiments designed to synthesize the element 115 in the $^{243}$Am+$^{48}$Ca reaction at Dubna in Russia, three similar decay chains consisting of five consecutive $α$-decays, and another different decay chain of four consecutive $α$-decays are detected, and the decay properties of these synthesized nuclei are claimed to be consistent with consecutive $α$-decays originating from the parent isotopes of the new element 115, $^{288}115$ and $^{287}115$, respectively\cite{ogan.03}. Here in the present work, the recently developed deformed RMF+BCS method with a density-independent delta-function interaction in the pairing channel is applied to the analysis of these newly synthesized superheavy nuclei $^{288}115$, $^{287}115$, and their $α$-decay daughter nuclei. The calculated $α$-decay energies and half-lives agree well with the experimental values and with those of the macroscopic-microscopic FRDM+FY and YPE+WS models. In the mean field Lagrangian, the TMA parameter set is used. Particular emphasis is paid on the influence to both the ground-state properties and energy surfaces introduced by different treatments of pairing. Two different effective interactions in the particle-particle channel, i.e., the constant pairing and the density-independent delta-function interaction, together with the blocking effect are discussed in detail.

17 pages, 5 figures