• Accepted Paper

Shell structure and spontaneous decay of superheavy Z=124 isotopes with the deformed relativistic Hartree-Bogoliubov theory in continuum

Yumeng Wang, Lang Liu, and Cong Pan

Phys. Rev. C - Accepted 21 October, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/9qrt-cspl

Abstract

Shell structure and spontaneous decay of Z=124 isotopes are systematically investigated using the deformed relativistic Hartree-Bogoliubov theory in continuum (DRHBc) with the PC-PK1 density functional. By accounting for deformation and continuum effects, the neutron drip line is predicted to be located at N=320, and eight potential multi-neutron emitters beyond the neutron drip line are identified. The results, compared with the spherically constrained case, highlight the critical role of deformation effects in determining the ground-state properties of superheavy nuclei. In addition, potential neutron shell closures emerge at N=258 and 350, alongside subshell closures at N=232 and 320. The results disfavor Z=124 as a possible proton magic number and suggest Z=120 and 138 as more favorable candidates for proton shell closures in the superheavy region. Finally, the competition between α decay, β decay, and spontaneous fission is analyzed by calculating half-lives within various semi-empirical formulas. The results indicate that α decay is the predominant mode on the proton-rich side, whereas spontaneous fission and β− decay gradually become dominant with increasing neutron number.

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