Are superheavy nuclei around (270)Hs really deformed?

Problem of experimental confirmation of deformed shapes predicted for super heavy nuclei situated around the nucleus (270)Hs is discussed. Measurement of energy of only the first 2+ state, and not the observation of an extende d rotational band, in even-even species of these nuclei is considered as a method for this confirmation. This energy is calculated in a multidimension al deformation space within the cranking approximation. Branching ratio bet ween alpha decay of a nucleus to the 2+ state and to the 0+ ground state of its daughter is also calculated for the considered nuclei. The results ind icate that the confirmation of deformed shapes of the nuclei is presently p ossible. (C) 2001 published by Elsevier Science B.V.