https://doi.org/10.1140/epja/i2018-12640-1
Regular Article - Theoretical Physics
Constraining the shell correction energies of super-heavy nuclei
Uncertainty analysis
1
Grand Accélérateur National d’Ions Lourds (GANIL), CEA/DRF - CNRS/IN2P3, BP55027, F14076, Caen Cedex, France
2
Normandie Université, Unicaen, Caen, France
* e-mail: cauchois@ganil.fr
Received:
26
March
2018
Accepted:
16
October
2018
Published online:
28
November
2018
The existence of super-heavy nuclei can only be explained by the introduction of stabilizing ground state shell effects. The macroscopic-microscopic masses are constructed from the sum of a macroscopic, liquid-drop, energy contribution and a microscopic, shell correction energy. In the present study, shell correction energies are inferred by subtracting the liquid-drop contributions to their corresponding experimental masses. As most super-heavy nuclei masses are not precisely known, they are deduced from measured 
values. Furthermore, a detailed uncertainty analysis regarding experimental masses and more importantly the liquid-drop masses delivers decisive theoretical constraints on shell correction energies. The current work focuses on two 
decay chains, the first following from a hot fusion reaction leading to the synthesis of 291Lv , and the second following from a cold fusion reaction leading to the synthesis of 277Cn . Contrasting the outcomes obtained for these two decay chains demonstrates that mass measurement precisions of about 50keV are required in order to efficiently constrain the shell correction energies of super-heavy nuclei.
© SIF, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature, 2018
