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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Spectroscopy of the Heaviest Elements

subject

description

The addition of modern arrays of silicon and germanium detectors at the target and focal plane positions of recoil separators has led to a wealth of new spectroscopic data concerning the structure of heavy elements. A particular region of interest has been that of the deformed nuclei close to the N=152 subshell gap. Both detailed decay and in-beam spectroscopic studies have provided complementary data on the location and ordering of single-particle states for proton number in the region of Z=100 and neutron number N=152. Instrumentation developments have allowed in-beam studies to be carried out at the unprecedented level of 20 nanobarns. The future prospects for such studies are also bright - new facilities employing high intensity stable beams are under construction and should yield lead to more significant results over the next decade. Additional long-term interest comes from the advent of next generation radioactive beam facilities which may allow limited studies in the heavy element region to be carried out.