Production and Decay of Element 114: High Cross Sections and the New Nucleus 277Hs
The fusion-evaporation reaction 244Pu(48Ca, 3-4n)288,289114 was studied at the new gas-filled recoil separator TASCA. Thirteen correlated decay chains were observed and assigned to the production and decay of 288,289114. At a compound nucleus excitation energy of E* = 39.8-43.9 MeV, the 4n evaporation channel cross section was 9.8(-3.1)(+3.9) pb. At E* = 36.1-39.5 MeV, that of the 3n evaporation c