Exploring the production of new superheavy nuclei with proton and <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mml:mi>α</mml:mi></mml:math>-particle evaporation channels
Abstract
Excitation functions for fusion-$xn$ evaporation reaction channels induced by $^{48}\mathrm{Ca}$ as well as by heavier projectiles (usually leading to smaller cross sections) on actinide targets were calculated in the framework of the fusion-by-diffusion (FBD) model. For the first time, in this approach, channels in which a proton ($pxn$) or alpha particle ($\ensuremath{\alpha}xn$) is evaporated have been included in the first step of the de-excitation cascade. To calculate the synthesis cross sections entry data such as fission barriers, ground-state masses, deformations, and shell effects of the superheavy nuclei calculated in a consistent way within the Warsaw macroscopic-microscopic model were used. The only adjustable parameter of the FBD model is the injection point distance ${s}_{inj}$. The systematics determined in our previous analysis of experimental cross sections for the synthesis of superheavy nuclei of $Z=114--118$ has been used. Excitation functions for the synthesis of selected (cross section above a few fb) new superheavy nuclides in the range of atomic numbers 112--120 are presented. Observation of 21 new heaviest isotopes is also predicted. A realistic discussion of the FBD model uncertainties is presented for the first time.