Ternary fission of ²⁶⁰No in equatorial configuration

Abstract.

Spontaneous ternary fission is one of the observed decay modes of heavy nuclei. We systematically investigate the equatorial ternary fission of the ²⁶⁰No isotope. In the framework of the three-cluster model, the three-body interaction potential is calculated in terms of the folded M3Y-Reid nucleon-nucleon force and the Coulomb one. The relative orientations of the deformed heavy nuclei participating in the fragmentation process are taken into account. All possible emitted light particles with even mass numbers $A = 4$-52 are considered. The favored fragmentation channels are estimated as the ones characterized with peaks in the Q-value and local minima in the fragmentation potential. In the absence of nuclear deformations, the closed shell effects are found to play the key role in determining the channels of minimum fragmentation potential and the involved two heavier fragments tend to be of comparable sizes. Inclusion of nuclear deformations manifest the participation of highly deformed prolate nuclei, with large mass asymmetry, as heavy fragment partners in the estimated favored fragmentation channels. The results indicate that the equatorial ternary fission of ²⁶⁰No is most favored with the light emitted nuclei ^4,6,8 ₂He and ¹⁰ ₄Be through the fragmentation channels ¹⁵⁵ ₆₀Nd + ⁴ ₂He + ¹⁰¹ ₀Zr, ¹⁵³ ₆₀Nd + ⁶ ₂He + ¹⁰¹ ₄₀Zr, ¹⁵² ₆₀Nd + ⁸ ₂He + ¹⁰⁰ ₄₀Zr, and ¹⁵² ₀Nd + ¹⁰ ₄Be + ⁹⁸ ₃₈Sr, respectively.