Role of quasiparticle structure in α decay of superheavy nuclei

We use the superfluid tunneling model (STM) to calculate the half-lives of α decays of odd-A and odd-odd superheavy nuclei (SHN) with Z≥100 and A≥250. The experimental data are reproduced to accuracies comparable to other contemporary models of the α decay of the SHN. We then apply the STM to examine the influence of the quasiparticle structure on the properties of the chains of α decays arising from odd-A SHN. Using representative calculations of the one-quasi-particle structure of odd-Z and odd-N SHN, we illustrate the important role played by high-Ω orbitals in defining the observed characteristics of the α-decay chains. We point out sources of possible ambiguity that may arise due to the quasiparticle structure when assigning α-decay chains to specific SHN.