Comparison of complementary reactions in the production of Mt

Abstract

The new reaction $^{208}\mathrm{Pb}(^{59}\mathrm{Co},n)^{266}\mathrm{Mt}$ was studied using the Berkeley Gas-filled Separator at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory 88-Inch Cyclotron. A cross section of ${7.7}_{\ensuremath{-}3.3}^{+5.2}$ pb was measured at a compound nucleus excitation energy of 14.9 MeV. The measured decay properties of $^{266}\mathrm{Mt}$ and its daughters correspond well with existing data. We compare this experimental result to transactinide compound nucleus formation model predictions, and the previously studied $^{209}\mathrm{Bi}(^{58}\mathrm{Fe},n)^{266}\mathrm{Mt}$ reaction.