First prompt in-beam gamma-ray spectroscopy of a superheavy element: the 256Rf

Using state-of-the-art γ-ray spectroscopic techniques, the first rotational band of a superheavy element, extending up to a spin of 20 ¯h, was discovered in the nucleus 256Rf. To perform such an experiment at the limits of the present instrumentation, several developments were needed. The most important of these developments was of an intense isotopically enriched 50Ti beam using the MIVOC method. The experimental set-up and subsequent analysis allowed the 256Rf ground-state band to be revealed. The rotational properties of the band are discussed and compared with neighboring transfermium nuclei through the study of their moments of inertia. These data suggest that there is no evidence of a significant deformed shell gap at Z = 104.