Peninsula of neutron stability of nuclei in the neighborhood of neutron magic number N = 126

The properties of the ground state of even-even nuclei with extreme neutron excess that are remote from the known neutron drip line (NDL) are calculated. The calculations are based on the Hartree-Fock method with Skyrme forces SkM*, SkI2, Sly4, Ska) with allowance for axial deformation and the BCS pairing approximation. It is shown that the isotone chain at the neutron number N = 126 beyond the NDL forms a peninsula of nuclei that are stable with respect to the emission of one neutron (PNS). The neutron and proton density distributions of the PNS nuclei have spherical symmetry. A mechanism for restoring the stability of nuclei beyond the NDL is discussed. The obtained results are compared with those from Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov calculations for long isotope chains of Zr and Pd up to the NDL.