Self-consistent calculations of electron-capture decays in Z=118, 119, and 120 superheavy isotopes

Weak decays in superheavy nuclei with proton numbers Z = 118 - 120 and neutron numbers N = 175 - 184 are studied within a microscopic formalism based on deformed self-consistent Skyrme Hartree-Fock mean-field calculations with pairing correlations. The half-lives of beta(+) decay and electron capture are compared with alpha-decay half-lives obtained from phenomenological formulas. The sensitivity of the half-lives to the unknown Q-energies is studied by comparing the results obtained from different approaches for the masses. It is shown that alpha-decay is always dominant in this mass region. The competition between alpha and ss(+)/EC decay modes is studied in seven alpha-decay chains starting at different isotopes of Z=118, 119, and 120. (c) 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Automated summary

This study investigates weak decays in superheavy nuclei using a microscopic formalism, revealing that alpha decay is always dominant in this mass region. The competition between alpha and ss(+)/EC decay modes is also explored in different alpha-decay chains.