Reaction ⁵⁵Mn + ¹⁵⁹Tb : preparation for the synthesis of new elements*

Abstract The complete fusion reaction of Mn + Tb was studied on the gas-filled recoil separator SHANS2. Nineteen ER - α - α decay chains from Th produced from the 4n evaporation channel were observed. The α-particle energy and half-life of Th were determined as 7922(14) keV and 14(4) ms, respectively. In addition, the decay properties of = 7788(14) keV and = 36 ms were obtained for Th. The measured α decay properties of Th and Th were consistent with literature data. The cross sections were measured to be 0.59 nb and 0.19 nb for Th and Th, respectively. The equilibrium charge state of the recoiled nucleus Th was determined experimentally. The new data were helpful for estimating the equilibrium charge states of elements 119 and 120, which could be produced via the Pu( Mn, 3n) 119 and Am( Mn, 3n) 120 reactions, respectively.