Superheavy elements
Synthesis of superheavy elements predicted by microscopic nuclear theory is investigated. The heaviest elements with Z = 114-118 were synthesized by fusion reactions of actinide nuclei with 48Ca ions accelerated using the U-400 complex at the Flerov Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions (FLNR), one of seven laboratories that comprise the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR) located in Dubna, Russia. The experiments were carried out in collaboration with physicists and chemists working at the Livermore and Oak Ridge national laboratories in located in California and Tennessee, respectively. Discovery of these elements allowed completion of the seventh period of the periodic table. The microscopic nuclear theory’s fundamental predictions about the possible existence of superheavy elements received the experimental confirmation. A new laboratory, i.e., the "STE Factory" associated with the JINR FLNR, has been established to research superheavy nuclei.