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Search for Electron-Capture Delayed Fission in the New Isotope ^{244}Md.

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Researchers investigated the neutron-deficient isotope 244Mendelevium (Md). They observed alpha decay for 244Md and set limits on electron-capture branching, while also identifying fission events from 245Md.

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Area of Science:

  • Nuclear Physics
  • Radiochemistry
  • Isotope Research

Background:

  • Investigating exotic, neutron-deficient isotopes provides insights into nuclear structure and decay modes.
  • The study focuses on Mendelevium (Md) isotopes, exploring their properties and decay characteristics.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To synthesize and characterize the unknown neutron-deficient isotope 244Mendelevium (Md).
  • To search for electron-capture decay followed by prompt fission in 244Md.
  • To identify and assign observed fission events to specific isotopes and decay pathways.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized techniques for synthesizing and detecting rare, short-lived isotopes.
  • Measured alpha decay properties, including energy and half-life, for 244Md.
  • Analyzed fission events and their associated half-lives to determine their origin.

Main Results:

  • Assigned alpha decay with specific energies and a half-life of 0.30 s to 244Md.
  • Established an upper limit of 0.14 for the electron-capture branching of 244Md due to the absence of coincident fission events.
  • Observed two groups of fission events with half-lives of 0.9 ms and 5 ms, assigning the 0.9 ms activity to 245Md.

Conclusions:

  • The electron-capture branching of 244Md is significantly limited.
  • The observed fission events provide new data on the decay properties of Md isotopes.
  • The origin of the 5 ms fission events remains unidentified, potentially indicating new physics.