EXOTIC CLUSTER MODEL OF OCTUPOLE DEFORMED RADIUM ISOTOPES

Many properties of the isotopes (222,224,226) Ra well reproduced by a binary cluster model in which a C-14 ion orbits the appropriate isotop e of Pb. An internuclear potential has been found which accounts for t he exotic decay half-lives and also gives a good fit to the energy spa cings and large E2 strengths in the ground state 0(+) band and the low -lying 0(-) band. Cross-band E3 and in-band E4 strengths are appreciab le as well and a picture of the asymmetric shapes of the isotopes emer ges naturally. Coupling a neutron to 222 Ra then enables an almost par ameter-free calculation of the odd-A nucleus Ra-223.