Nuclear structure at A ∼250 and the stability of the superheavy elements

The implications of level spacings and level orderings in the A ∼250 mass region vis-a-vis the stability of superheavy elements are considered. Single-particle energies in the A = 250 mass region are used to fix the parameters of a Woods-Saxon potential. Evidence for the ground state assignment in 255Md (Z = 101) is presented. The potential is extrapolated to the superheavy region and the stability of superheavy elements is estimated. A critique of zero-point corrections in the Strutinsky method is presented and an alternate approach is suggested.