2007/12/03 by N. G. Kelkar, H. M. Castaneda, H. M. Castañeda · 1 citation
Physics and Astronomy · #Advanced Chemical Physics Studies #Atomic and Molecular Physics #Nuclear physics research studies #nucl-th
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevc.76.064605
published as Phys.Rev.C76:064605,2007 · 18 pages, Latex
arxiv created 2007/12/03 · openalex publication_date 2007/12/18 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
A detailed comparison of the expressions for the decay widths obtained within the semiclassical WKB approximation using different approaches to the tunneling problem is performed. The differences between the available improved formulas for tunneling near the top and the bottom of the barrier are investigated. Though the simple WKB method gives the right order of magnitude of the decay widths, a small number of parameters are often fitted. The need to perform the fitting procedure remaining consistently within the WKB framework is emphasized in the context of the fission model based calculations. Calculations for the decay widths of some recently found superheavy nuclei using microscopic alpha-nucleus potentials are presented to demonstrate the importance of a consistent WKB calculation. The half-lives are found to be sensitive to the density dependence of the nucleon-nucleon interaction and the implementation of the Bohr-Sommerfeld quantization condition inherent in the WKB approach.