Search for the heaviest N = Z alpha emitters
ORAL
Abstract
The enhancement of alpha-decay probability for nuclei above $^{100}$Sn is expected because valence protons and neutrons above Z=N=50 occupy the same single-particle orbitals. The program to search for new alpha emitters in this region was initiated recently at the JAEA Tandem Laboratory at Tokai, Japan, where beams up to 30-50 pnA could be used. We performed proof-of-principle experiments with the Recoil Mass Separator (RMS) and digital electronics, which resulted in the observation of several $^{109}$Xe alpha decay chains. The first discovery-aimed experiment, which searched for the $^{113}$Ba alpha decay took place in December 2014, where possible candidates for the alpha decay of $^{113}$Ba were observed. The current status of analysis will be presented.
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