New look at. alpha. decay of heavy nuclei

Journal Article · Mon Dec 10 04:00:00 EST 1990 · Physical Review Letters; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.65.2975· OSTI ID:6253352

Buck, B ^[1]; Merchant, A C ^[2]; Perez, S M ^[3]

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1. Department of Theoretical Physics, Oxford University, 1 Keble Road, Oxford (United Kingdom)
2. Instituto de Estudos Avancados, Centro Tecnico Aeroespacial, 12.225 Sao Jose dos Campos, Sao Paulo (Brazil)
3. Physics Department, University of Cape Town, Private Bag, Rondebosch (South Africa)

Geiger-Nuttall plots of the accurate modern data on partial half-lives for {alpha} decay yield very striking linear correlations. The plots for isotopic sequences which cross the neutron magic number {ital N}=126 show clearly the presence of different linear relations for {ital N}{lt}126 and {ital N}{gt}126. We indicate that this observation and all other data on ground-state to ground-state {alpha} decays for even-even nuclei with 76{le}{ital Z}{le}100 may be accounted for very well by a simple model with fixed parameters. An important ingredient in the model is the proposal that preformed {alpha} particles in the parent nuclei move in orbits with large values of a global quantum number.

• OSTI ID: 6253352
• Journal Information: Physical Review Letters; (USA), Journal Name: Physical Review Letters; (USA) Vol. 65:24; ISSN PRLTA; ISSN 0031-9007
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

653005* -- Nuclear Theory-- Radioactive Decay
73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS
ACTINIDE ISOTOPES
ALKALINE EARTH ISOTOPES
ALPHA DECAY
DECAY
ENERGY LEVELS
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
GROUND STATES
HEAVY NUCLEI
ISOTOPES
LIFETIME
NUCLEAR DECAY
NUCLEAR PROPERTIES
NUCLEAR RADII
NUCLEI
PLUTONIUM ISOTOPES
POLONIUM ISOTOPES
RADIUM ISOTOPES
RADON ISOTOPES
THORIUM ISOTOPES