Study of the Reaction 48Ca+248Cm → 296Lv* at RIKEN-GARIS

The fusion reaction Ca-48 + Cm-248 -> (296)Lv* was investigated using the gas-filled recoil ion separator GARIS at RIKEN. The reaction was studied at excitation energies of 41.3 and 38.2 MeV. A total of seven decay chains were observed. Three of the chains were assigned to the decay of (292)Lv and three to the decay of (293)Lv. A possible observation of an a-decay branch of (284)Cn populating the new spontaneously fissioning nucleus (280)Ds is discussed. The assignment of one of the decay chains to the 3n evaporation channel, resulting in a spontaneous fission branch of (285)Cn, or to the 2n channel, resulting in the population of the new fissioning nucleus (286)Cn, is ambiguous. Measured cross sections are in agreement with previously published values.