ALPHA-PHOTON COINCIDENCE SPECTROSCOPY ALONG ELEMENT 115 DECAY CHAINS

Produced in the reaction Ca-48+Am-243, thirty correlated alpha-decay chains were observed in an experiment conducted at the GSI Helmholzzentrum fur Schwerionenforschung, Darmstadt, Germany. The decay chains are basically consistent with previous findings and are considered to originate from isotopes of element 115 with mass numbers 287, 288, and 289. A set-up aiming specifically for high-resolution charged particle and photon coincidence spectroscopy was placed behind the gas-filled separator TASCA. For the first time, gamma rays as well as X-ray candidates were observed in prompt coincidence with the alpha-decay chains of element 115.