Model-independent trend of α-preformation probability

The α-preformation probability is directly deduced from experimental α decay energies and half-lives in an analytical way without any modified parameters. Several other model-deduced results, are used to compare with that of the present study. The key role played by the shell effects in the α-preformation process is indicated in all these cases. In detail, the α-preformation factors of different theoretical extractions are found to have similar behavior for one given isotopic chain, implying the model-independent varying trend of the preformation probability of α particle. In addition, the formation probability of heavier particle in cluster radioactivity is also obtained, and this confirms the relationship between the cluster preformation factor and the product of the cluster and daughter proton numbers.     

α particle preformation and shell effect for heavy and superheavy nuclei

The α particle preformation factor is extracted within a generalized liquid drop model for Z = 84-92 isotopes and N = 126,128,152,162,176,184 isotones.The calculated results show clearly that the shell effects play a key role in α particle preformation.The closer the proton and neutron numbers are to the magic numbers,the more difficult the formation of the α cluster inside the mother nucleus is.The preformation factors of the isotopes reflect that N = 126 is a magic number for Po,Rn,Ra,and Th isotopes,but for U isotopes the weakening of the influence of the N =126 shell closure is evident.The trend of the factors for N = 126 and N = 128 isotones also support this conclusion.We extend the calculations for N = 152,162,176,184 isotones to explore the magic numbers for heavy and superheavy nuclei,which are probably present near Z = 108 to N = 152,162 isotones and Z = 116 to N = 176,184 isotones.The results also show that another subshell closure may exist after Z = 124 in the superheavy nuclei.This is useful for future experiments.     

Systematic study of α preformation probability of nuclear isomeric and ground states

In this paper, based on the two-potential approach combining with the isospin dependent nuclear potential, we systematically compare the α preformation probabilities of odd-A nuclei between nuclear isomeric states and ground states. The results indicate that during the process of α particle preforming, the low lying nuclear isomeric states are similar to ground states. Meanwhile, in the framework of single nucleon energy level structure, we find that for nuclei with nucleon number below the magic numbers, the α preformation probabilities of high-spin states seem to be larger than low ones. For nuclei with nucleon number above the magic numbers, the α preformation probabilities of isomeric states are larger than those of ground states.     

α decay properties of ~(297)Og within the two-potential approach

The α decay half-life of the unknown nucleus ~(297)Og is predicted within the two-potential approach, andα preformation probabilities of 64 odd-A nuclei in the region of proton numbers 82 Z 126 and neutron numbers 152 N 184, from ~(251)Cf to ~(295)Og, are extracted. In addition, based on the latest experimental data, a new set of parameters for α preformation probabilities considering the shell effect and proton-neutron interaction are obtained.The predicted α decay half-life of ~(297)Og is 0.16 ms within a factor of 4.97. The predicted spin and parity of the ground states for ~(269)Sg,~(285)Fl and ~(293)Lv are 3/2~+, 3/2~+ and 5/2~+, respectively.     

Improved empirical formula for α particle preformation factor

In this contribution,the α preformation factors of 606 nuclei are extracted within the framework of the generalized liquid drop model(GLDM).Through the systematic analysis of the α preformation factors of even-even Po-U isotopes,we found that there is a significant weakening of influence of N=126 shell closure in uranium,which is consistent with the results of a recent experiment [J.Khuyagbaatar et al.,Phys.Rev.Lett.115,242502(2015)],implying that N=126 may not be the magic number for U isotopes.Furthermore,we propose an improved formula with only 7 parameters to calculate α preformation factors suitable for all types of α-decay;it has fewer parameters than the original formula proposed by Zhang et al.[H.F.Zhang et al.,Phys.Rev.C 80,057301(2009)]with higher precision.The standard deviation of the α preformation factors calculated by our formula with extracted values for all 606 nuclei is 0.365 with a factor of 2.3,indicating that our improved formula can accurately reproduce the α preformation factors.Encouraged by this,the α-decay half-lives of actinide elements are predicted,which could be useful in future experiments.Notably,the predicted α-decay half-lives of two new isotopes 220 Np [Z.Y.Zhang,et al.,Phys.Rev.Lett.122,192503(2019)] and 219 Np [H.B.Yang et al.,Phys.Lett.B 777,212(2018)] are in good agreement with the experimental α-decay half-lives.     

Influence of proton-skin thickness on the α decays of heavy nuclei

We investigate the effect of proton-skin thickness on the α decay process. We consider 188 neutrondeficient nuclei belonging to the isotopic chains from Te(Z = 52) to Pb(Z = 82). The calculations of the half-life are carried out in the framework of the preformed cluster model, with the Wentzel-Kramers-Brillouin penetration probability and assault frequency. It is shown that the proton-skin thickness(?p) of the daughter nucleus gives rise to a total α-daughter nucleus interaction potential of relatively wide deep internal pocket and a thinner Coulomb barrier of less height. This increases the penetration probability but decreases the assault frequency. The overall impact of the proton-skin thickness appears as a decrease in the decay half-life. The proton-skin thickness decreases the stability of the nucleus. The half-lives of the proton-skinned isotopes along the isotopic chain decrease exponentially with increasing the proton-skin thickness, whereas the Qα-value increases with ?p. α-decay manifests itself as the second favorite decay mode of neutron-deficient nuclei, next to the β+-decay and before proton-decay. It is indicated as main, competing, and minor decay mode, at 21%, 7%, and 57%, respectively, of the investigated nuclei.     

α decay properties of ~(296)Og within the two-potential approach

The present work is a continuation of our previous paper [J.-G. Deng, et al., Chin. Phys. C, 41:124109(2017)]. In the present work, the α decay half-life of the unknown nucleus296 Og is predicted within the two-potential approach and the hindrance factors of all 20 even-even nuclei in the same region as296 Og, i.e. proton number 82Z 126 and neutron number 152N 184, from250 Cm to294 Og, are extracted. The prediction is 1.09 ms within a factor of 5.12. In addition, based on the latest experimental data, a new set of parameters of α decay hindrance factors for the even-even nuclei in this region, considering the shell effect and proton-neutron interaction,are obtained.     

Half-life of bismuth isotopes predicted by the Coulomb and proximity potential model; a proposition for the spherical nuclei

We know that the ground state energy, half-life, spin and parity of the heavy nuclei can be determined via the study of alpha decay. Bearing this in mind, we have calculated the penetration probability in the barrier, the decay constant and thereby the half-lives of 21 isotopes of Bi by using the proximity potential model. The comparison with the existing data is motivating.     

Alpha Decay,Shell Structure,and New Elements

We systematically analyze the experimental data of alpha decay in even-even heavy nuclei far from stability and find that the Geiger-Nuttall law brea~s for an isotopic chain when its neutron number is across a marc number or there is a deformed subshell. This break can be used to identify new magic numbers of superheavy nuclei. It is also discovered that there is a new linear relation between the logarithm of half-life and the reciprocal of the square root of decay energy for N = 126 and N = 152 isotones. It could be a new law of alpha decay for nuclei with magic neutron numbers but the physics behind it is to be explored. The significance of these researches for the search of new elements is discussed.     

Generalization of α-Decay Cluster-Model to Nuclei Near Spherical and Deformed Shell Closures

The cluster model of a-decay is extended to the regions around doubly magic spherical nucleus ^208Pb and around deformed shell closure ^270Hs, respectively. The effects of spherical shell closures (N=126 and Z=82) on α-decay are investigated by introducing an N-dependent α-preformation factor and a Z-dependent one inspired by a microscopic model. Good agreement between the theoretical a-decay half-lives and the measured ones is obtained for the spherical nuclei near the doubly magic nucleus ^208Pb, where the nuclear shell effect is included in the expression of α-preformation factor. The cluster model is also generalized for the decay of deformed nuclei. The branching ratios of α-decays from the ground state of a parent nucleus to the ground state (0^ ) of its deformed daughter nucleus and to the first excited state (2^ ) are calculated in the framework of the cluster model. The results indicate that a measurement of α spectroscopy is a feasible method to extract the information of nuclear deformation of superheavy nuclei around the deformed nucleus ^270Hs.     

Constraints on neutron skin thickness and symmetry energy of 208Pb through Skyrme forces and cluster model

We used the cluster structure properties of the 212Po to estimate the neutron skin thickness of 208Pb.For this purpose,we considered two important components:(a)alpha decay is a low energy phenomenon;therefore,one can expect that the mean-field,which can explain the ground state properties of 212Po,does not change during the alpha decay process.(b)212Po has a high alpha cluster-like structure,two protons and two neutrons outside its core nucleus with a double magic closed-shell,and the cluster model is a powerful formalism for the estimation of alpha decay preformation factor of such nuclei.The slope of the symmetry energy of 208Pb is estimated to be 75±25 MeV within the selected same mean-fields and Skyrme forces,which can simultaneously satisfy the ground-state properties of parent and daughter nuclei,as their neutron skin thicknesses are consistent with experimental data.     

Generation of an N-qubit phase gate via atom--cavity nonidentical coupling

A scheme for approximate generation of an N-qubit phase gate is proposed in cavity QED based on nonidentical coupling between the atoms and the cavity. The atoms interact with a highly detuned cavity-field mode, but quantum information does not transfer between the atoms and cavity field, and thus the cavity decay is negligible. The gate time does not rise with an increase in the number of qubits. With the choice of a smaller odd number l （related to atom-cavity coupling constants）, the phase gate can be generated with a higher fidelity and a higher success probability in a shorter time （the gate time is much shorter than the atomic radiative lifetime and photon lifetime）. When the number of qubits N exceeds certain small values, the fidelity and success probability rise slowly with an increase in the number of qubits N. When N→∞, the fidelity and success probability infinitely approach 1, but never exceed 1.     

Topological String in Quantum-Chromodynamical Chiral Phase Transitions

It is pointed out that if in heavy ion collision processes, the quark-gluon plasma SU(2) chiral phase transition really takes place and the phase transition is a second order. Then the topological string, i.e., the π string, will be formed. The main effect of this phenomenon is that there will be a number of pions produced by decay of the π string in the final state. The pions from the decay of the π string lead to the same effect of decreasing the Hanbury-Brown-Twiss peak in two-pion spectra which is just as that of the long-lived hadronic resonances.At relativistic heavy-ion collision and large hadron collision energies, it is expected that the factors are about α ∽ 0.7 - 0.9 and α ∽ 0.6 - 0.85, respectively.     

Signatures of shell evolution in alpha decay across the N=126 shell closure

Within the alpha-cluster model, we particularly investigate the alpha decay of exotic nuclei in the vicinity of the N = 126 neutron shell plus the Z = 82 proton shell. The systematics of alpha-preformation probability(P_α),as an indicator of the shell effect, is deduced from the ratio of the experimental decay width to the calculated one.Through the comparative analysis of the P_α trend in the N = 124-130 isotonic chain, the N = 126 and Z = 82 shell closures are believed to strongly affect the formation of the alpha particle before its penetration. Additionally, the P_α variety in Po and Rn isotopes is presented as another proof for such an influence. More importantly, it may be concluded that the expected neutron(or proton) shell effect gradually fades away along with the increasing valence proton(or neutron) number. The odd-even staggering presented in the P_α value is also discussed.     

α Decay Properties of Even-Even Nuclei~(296-308)120 Within the Two-Potential Approach

In the present work,we predict the α decay half-lives of unknown even-even nuclei ~(296-308)120 within the two-potential approach,whose α decay energy Qa is calculated using WS3+mass model.To reduce the deviations between the predictions and experimental data due to nuclear shell effect,the analytic formula of α decay hindrance factor is introduced to the two-potential approach,whose parameters had been extracted from even-even nuclei in the region of 82 Z 126 and 152 N 184 in our previous work [Deng et al.,Chin.Phys.C 42(2018) 044102].In addition,for comparing,we use a type of α decay general formula Universal Decay Law(UDL) and a semi-empirical formula in the superheavy nucleus(SEMFLS) to calculate the half-lives of even-even nuclei ~(296-308)120.The results indicate that our predicted values and the calculated values of the above two empirical formulas are mutually confirmed.Meanwhile,we systematically study α decay chains of ~(296-308)120 and predict the decay modes for superheavy nuclei to help to identify new superheavy isotopes.     

Quantum dynamics on a lossy non-Hermitian lattice

We investigate quantum dynamics of a quantum walker on a finite bipartite non-Hermitian lattice,in which the particle can leak out with certain rate whenever it visits one of the two sublattices.Quantum walker initially located on one of the non-leaky sites will finally totally disappear after a length of evolution time and the distribution of decay probability on each unit cell is obtained.In one regime,the resultant distribution shows an expected decreasing behavior as the distance from the initial site increases.However,in the other regime,we find that the resultant distribution of local decay probability is very counterintuitive,in which a relatively high population of decay probability appears on the edge unit cell which is the farthest from the starting point of the quantum walker.We then analyze the energy spectrum of the non-Hermitian lattice with pure loss,and find that the intriguing behavior of the resultant decay probability distribution is intimately related to the existence and specific property of the edge states,which are topologically protected and can be well predicted by the non-Bloch winding number.The exotic dynamics may be observed experimentally with arrays of coupled resonator optical waveguides.     

Generalization of α-Decay Cluster-Model to Nuclei Near Spherical and Deformed Shell Closures

The cluster model of α-decay is extended to the regions around doubly magic spherical nucleus 208pb and around deformed shell closure 270Hs, respectively. The effects of spherical shell closures (N = 126 and Z = 82) on α-decay are investigated by introducing an N-dependent α-preformation factor and a Z-dependent one inspired by a microscopic model. Good agreement between the theoretical α-decay half-lives and the measured ones is obtained for the spherical nuclei near the doubly magic nucleus 208 Pb, where the nuclear shell effect is included in the expression of α-preformation factor. The cluster model is also generalized for the decay of deformed nuclei. The branching ratios of a-decays from the ground state of a parent nucleus to the ground state (0 ) of its deformed daughter nucleus and to the first excited state (2 ) are .calculated in the framework of the cluster model. The results indicate that a measurement of c spectroscopy is a feasible method to extract the information of nuclear deformation of superheavy nuclei around the deformed nucleus 270 Hs.     

Effects of shell correction on α decay properties

The shell correction effects on the α decay properties of heavy and superheavy nuclei have been studied in a macroscopic-microscopic manner. The macroscopic part is constructed from the generalized liquid drop model(GLDM), whereas the microscopic part, namely, the shell correction energy, brings about certain effects on the potential barriers and half-lives under a WKB approximation, which is emphasized in this work. The results show that the shell effects play a significant role in the estimation of the α decay half-lives within the actinide region.Predictions of the α decay half-lives are then generated for superheavy nuclei, which will provide useful information for future experiments.     

Calculation of α decay half-lives for superheavy elements using the double folding model＊

α decay half-lives of some new synthesized superheavy elements, possibly synthesized superheavy elements and decay products are calculated theoretically within the WKB approximation by using microscopic α-nucleus interaction potentials. These nuclear potentials between the α particle and daughter nuclei are obtained by using the double folding integral of the matter density distribution of the α particle and daughter nuclei with a density-dependent effective nucleon-nucleon interaction, in which the zero-range exchange term is supplemented. The calculated α decay half-lives are compared with those of the different models and experimental data. It is shown that the present calculation successfully provides the half-lives of the observed decays for some new superheavy elements and therefore gives reliable predictions for α decay of possibly synthesized superheavy elements in future experiments.