Probing the structural evolution along the fission path in the superheavy nucleus ²⁵⁶Sg

The evolution of structure property along the fission path in the superheavy nucleus ²⁵⁶Sg is predicted through the multi-dimensional potential-energy(or Routhian)-surface calculations, in which the phenomenological deformed Woods-Saxon potential is adopted. Calculated nuclear deformations and fission barriers for ²⁵⁶₁₀₆Sg₁₅₀ and its neighbors, e.g., ^258,260Sg, ²⁵⁴Rf and ²⁵²No are presented and compared with other theoretical results. A series of energy maps and curves are provided and used to evaluate the corresponding shape-instability properties, especially in the directions of triaxial 𝛾 and different hexadecapole deformations (e.g., 𝛼40, 𝛼42 and 𝛼44). It is found that the triaxial deformation may help the nucleus bypass the first fission-barrier of the axial case. After the first minimum in the nuclear energy surface, the fission pathway of the nucleus can be affected by 𝛾 and hexadecapole deformation degrees of freedom. In addition, microscopic single-particle structure, pairing and Coriolis effects are briefly investigated and discussed. (author)