Speaker
Description
Synthesizing new isotopes far from the line of $\beta$-stability and studying their decay properties is one of the frontiers in present-day nuclear physics. However, mapping the boundaries of nuclear landscape is exceptionally challenging due to the tiny production cross sections and short half-lives of nuclei. In this work, the fusion-evaporation reaction $^{40}$Ca+$^{175}$Lu aimed at synthesizing new neutron-deficient protactinium isotopes was investigated at the newly constructed China Accelerator Facility for Superheavy Elements. The cross sections for the xn and pxn evaporation channels were measured. At a beam energy of 212 MeV, a new isotope $^{210}$Pa produced through the 5n evaporation channel was identified for the first time. The measured α-decay properties of $^{210}$Pa allow us to extend the $\alpha$-decay systematics and test the predictive power of selected theoretical models for the heavy nuclei near the proton drip line.
