Physics of even-even superheavy nuclei with 96 < Z < 110 in the Quark-Meson-Coupling Model

Abstract

The Quark-Meson-Coupling (QMC) model has been applied to the study of the properties of even-even super-heavy nuclei with 96 < Z < 110, over a wide range of neutron numbers. The aim is to identify the deformed shell gaps at N = 152 and N = 162 predicted in macroscopic-microscopic (macro-micro) models, in a model based on the mean-field Hartree-Fock+BCS approximation. The predictive power of the model has been tested on proton and neutron spherical shell gaps in light doubly closed (sub)shell nuclei. In the super-heavy region, the ground state binding energies of 98 < Z < 110 and 146 < N < 160 differ, in the majority of cases, from the measured values by less than 2.5 MeV, with the deviation decreasing with increasing Z and N. The axial quadrupole deformation parameter, calculated over the range of neutron numbers 138 < N < 184, revealed a prolate-oblate coexistence and shape transition around N = 168, followed by an oblate-spherical transition towards the expected N = 184 shell closure in Cm, Cf, Fm and No. The closure is not predicted in Rf, Sg, Hs and Ds as another shape transition to a highly deformed shape in Sg, Hs and Ds for N > 178 appears, while 288Rf (N = 184) remains oblate. The bulk properties predicted by QMC are found to have a limited sensitivity to the deformed shell gaps at N = 152 and 162. However, the evolution of the neutron single-particle spectra with 0 < beta2 < 0.55 gives unambiguous evidence for the location and size of the N = 152 and 162 gaps as a function of Z and N. In addition, the neutron number dependence of neutron pairing energies provides supporting evidence for existence of the energy gaps.

48 pages, 22 figures, 3 tables

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• Nuclear magic numbers: new features far from stability
• The Skyrme Interaction in finite nuclei and nuclear matter
• Octupole deformation in the ground states of even-even nuclei: a global analysis within the covariant density functional theory
• Quark-Meson-Coupling (QMC) model for finite nuclei, nuclear matter and beyond
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Cited by in corpus (7)

• Properties of heaviest nuclei with $98\le Z\le 126$ and $134\le N\le 192$
• Microscopic predictions for production of neutron rich nuclei in the reaction ${}^{176}\mathbf{Yb}+{}^{176}\mathbf{Yb}$
• The Role of Baryon Structure in Neutron Stars
• Structural Properties and $\alpha$-Decay Chains of Transfermium Nuclei (101$\le$Z$\le$110)
• Tensor and pairing interactions within the QMC energy density functional
• The outer crust of a cold, non-accreting neutron star within the Quark-Meson Coupling (QMC) model
• Deformed magic numbers at $N=$178 and $Z=$120, 124 in the 112 $\le N\le$ 190 superheavy region from Skyrme mean-field calculations