Global α-decay study based on the mass table of the relativistic continuum Hartree-Bogoliubov theory

The alpha-decay energies (Q(alpha)) are systematically investigated with the nuclear masses for 10 <= Z <= 120 isotopes obtained by the relativistic continuum Hartree-Bogoliubov (RCHB) theory with the covariant density functional PC-PK1, and compared with available experimental values. It is found that the alpha-decay energies deduced from the RCHB results present a similar pattern to those from available experiments. Owing to the large predicted Q(alpha) values (>= 4 MeV), many undiscovered heavy nuclei in the proton-rich side and super-heavy nuclei may have large possibilities for alpha-decay. The influence of nuclear shell structure on alpha-decay energies is also analysed.