A fission model approach to alpha decay and cluster radioactivity of Dy, Er, and Yb isotopes

Rare earth nuclei are probable candidates for exhibiting cluster radioactivity. In the present work, a theoretical study of α decay and heavy cluster emission from Dy, Er, and Yb nuclei in the mass range 150 A 190 has been carried out in a fission model approach. Some of the proton-rich isotopes of these nuclei are found to have long half-lives, but within the measurable range. Many of the neutron-rich isotopes under consideration are far from β stability and the most probable light clusters predicted are highly exotic in nature and the corresponding half-lives are extremely short. However, the decays of most probable heavy clusters predicted have half-lives in the measurable range. The calculations on neutron-rich isotopes indicate the emergence of new magic numbers for protons and neutrons. The centrifugal barrier effect on decay rate of some proton-rich Er isotopes is also investigated.