Masters Degrees (Physics)

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Cluster model analysis of exotic decay in actinide nuclei
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2014-12) Du Toit, Erasmus Johannes; Wyngaardt, Shaun M.; Perez, Sandro M.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Science. Dept. of Physics.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The binary cluster model is used to investigate the properties of exotic structures and decays in various nuclei. A simple method is described to choose the possible clusters forming within the nucleus, by assuming the nucleus consists of a mixture of up to four different core-cluster pairs. A phenomenological potential is then used, with optimized parameters, to describe the even-even 222-232Th nuclei within the binary cluster model, by calculating exotic decay half-lives, reduced electromagnetic transition probabilities, and energy spectra. After finding that all experimentally observed heavy ion emissions are predicted with the model and calculated structure observables are reproduced within good agreement of the experimentally measured values, the model was extended to include the even-even 230-234U, 236-240Pu and 222-224Ra nuclei. We found that almost all experimentally observed heavy ion emissions are predicted within the model with reasonable accuracy in the calculated halflives, and found good agreement in the other calculated structure observables.