Search for elements 119 and 120

Khuyagbaatar, J.*; Yakushev, A.*; Dllmann, Ch. E.*; Ackermann, D.*; Andersson, L.-L.*; Asai, Masato; Block, M.*; Boll, R. A.*; Brand, H.*; Cox, D. M.*; et al.

Physical Review C, 102(6), p.064602_1 - 064602_9, 2020/12

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.102.064602

A search for production of the superheavy elements with atomic numbers 119 and 120 was performed in the Ti+Bk and Ti+Cf fusion-evaporation reactions, respectively, at the gas-filled recoil separator TASCA. Over four months of irradiation, neither was detected at cross-section sensitivity levels of 65 and 200 fb, respectively. The non-observation of elements 119 and 120 is discussed within the concept of fusion-evaporation reactions including various theoretical predictions on the fission-barrier heights of superheavy nuclei in the region of the island of stability.