α clustering slightly above 100Sn in the light of the new experimental data on the superallowed α decay

Abstract

The recently observed α-decay chain 108Xe → 104Te → 100Sn (K. Auranen et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 121, 182501 (2018)) could provide valuable information on the α clustering in even-even nuclei slightly above the major shells Z= 50 and N= 50. In this work, this α-decay chain is studied theoretically within the framework of the density-dependent cluster model plus the two-potential approach. We calculate the α-decay half-lives of 104Te and 108Xe and study in detail their dependence on the Q value and the density-profile parameters of the core nucleus. Various physical properties of 104Te, the heaviest nucleus with a doubly magic self-conjugate core + α, are calculated, with two different assumptions on the renormalization factor of the double-folding potential, which could be a useful reference for future experimental studies.