Half-lives and fine structure for the α decay of deformed even-even nuclei

The α-decay properties of well-deformed even-even nuclei are systematically calculated within the multichannel cluster model (MCCM). Instead of working in the WKB framework, the quasibound solution to the coupled Schro¨dinger equation is presented with outgoing wave boundary conditions, and the coupling potential is taken into full account in terms of the general quantum theories. The calculated α-decay half-lives are found to agree well with the experimental data with a mean factor of less than 2. The fine structure observed in α decay is also well reproduced by the four-channel microscopic calculation. Very strikingly, the MCCM can give relatively precise descriptions of the branching ratio to excited 4+ states, which is often overestimated in the usual WKB calculations. We expect it to be a significant development of theoretical models toward quantitative descriptions of α transitions to high-spin daughter states.