FIAS Scientific Report 2010 - Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies ...

Possibility of synthesizing superheavy elements in nuclear explosions
Collaborators: I.N. Mishustin 1 , W. Greiner 1 , A. Botvina 1,2 , V. Zagrebaev 1,3
1 Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies, 2 Institute for Nuclear Research, RAS, Moscow, 3 Joint Institute of Nuclear
Research, Dubna
We study the possibility of synthesizing heavy and superheavy elements by using intensive neutron fluxes
generated by nuclear explosions. Actually, this method was already partially employed alongside with nuclear
reactors. However, because of some technical and political constraints it was abandoned later. Nevertheless, this
method provides the highest neutron densities which are not possible to reach with other terrestrial techniques.
The typical fusion reactions like 238 U + 48 Ca lead to proton-rich compound nuclei which lie above the βstability
line. On the other hand, the multiple neutron-capture reactions in nuclear explosions may bring the
238 U nuclei to the neutron drip-line. Then, after the neutron flux ceased, these nuclei undergo multiple β-decay
and come close to the island of stability from the neutron-rich side. If a single explosion is insufficient, then, in
principle, a properly delayed second explosion can do the job.
ρ(A n )/ρ 0
constant neutron density
0.1μs
0.3μs
1μs
ρ n =4*10 22 cm -3
T=10 keV
238 U
3μs
number of absorbed neutrons
Relative abundances of neutron-rich nuclei produced after capture of neutrons normalized to the initial number of 238 U
nuclei. It is assumed that a 238 U target is irradiated by a constant neutron flux of about 7·10 30 n/(s·cm 2 ) corresponding to
neutron density and temperature given in the figure. Calculations are done for different exposure times (in microseconds)
indicated at the corresponding curves.
Related publications in 2010:
1. Alexander Botvina, Igor Mishustin, Valeri Zagrebaev and Walter Greiner, Possibility of synthesizing
superheavy elements in nuclear explosions, Int. J. Mod. Phys. 19,2063-2075 (2010);
2. Igor Mishustin, Production of heavy and superheavy nuclei in explosive processes, invited talk at the
International Symposium “Advances of Nuclear Physics in Our Time” (Goa, India, Nov. 28 - Dec. 2,
2010), to be published in Proceedings.
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