title: Landscape of two-proton radioactivity.
abstract: Ground-state two-proton (2p) radioactivity is a decay mode found in isotopes of elements with even atomic numbers located beyond the two-proton drip line. So far, this exotic process has been experimentally observed in a few light- and medium-mass nuclides with Z≤30. In this study, using state-of-the-art nuclear density functional theory, we globally analyze 2p radioactivity and for the first time identify 2p-decay candidates in elements heavier than strontium. We predict a few cases where the competition between 2p emission and α decay may be observed. In nuclei above lead, the α-decay mode is found to be dominating and no measurable candidates for the 2p radioactivity are expected.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, USA.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Olsen
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pfützner
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Birge
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Nazarewicz
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Perhac