Synthesis and stability of the heaviest elements. The present situation and future developments

Present knowledge about the heaviest elements are reviewed from the experimental as well as from the theoretical point of view. All groups carrying out or preparing experiments on the synthesis of trans-fermium elements are represented: Groups from Dubna, which investigated the synthesis of trans-fermium elements from the very beginning, the GSI group, successful in the synthesis of the heaviest elements since more than ten years, the group from RIKEN which started a heavy element research program, and the Jyvaskyla group going into this field just now. On the theoretical side, most recent calculations on the stability of heavy and superheavy elements are presented, the problems of heavy-element production by complete fusion of heavy ions are discussed. (author). 6 refs., 2 figs., 1 tab