α-decay hindrance factors: A probe of mean-field wave functions

A simple model to calculate α-decay hindrance factors (HF) with special emphasis on the shape coexistence in the Pb-Po region is presented. Using deformation values obtained from potential energy surface (PES) calculations as the only input, hindrance factors for the α decay of Rn and Po isotopes are calculated. The fair agreement between experimental and theoretical hindrance factors suggest that the wave function obtained from the energy minima of the PES calculations contains an important part of the correlations that play a role for the α decay. The model is applicable to shape coexistence in the Po and Pb region when minima are well defined. The calculated HF that emerge from these calculations render a different interpretation than the commonly assumed n-particle n-hole picture of the intruder states in the Pb region