Towards the Island of Stability: Synthesis of Experimental and Theoretical Insights into Superheavy Nuclei

This study presents a comprehensive synthesis of experimental and theoretical advancements in the pursuit of superheavy nuclei (SHN) near the hypothesized island of stability. By integrating high-precision experimental data for elements – with relativistic density functional theory (DFT), shell-model computations, and Bayesian statistical analyses, the work elucidates the interplay of nuclear structure, stability, and decay dynamics in the extreme proton-neutron regime Key experimental findings include the identification of enhanced stability in (, ) and the metastable isomer ( s), which validate shell-stabilization effects near proposed magic numbers. Theoretical frameworks predict a 2–3 order-of-magnitude increase in half-lives for – nuclei approaching , contingent on spherical shell closures. The analysis highlights persistent challenges, such as low reaction cross-sections ( cm^2) for synthesis and discrepancies between Skyrme and Gogny functional predictions. These limitations underscore the necessity for neutron-rich beam advancements and refined treatments of three-body forces in nuclear models. Astrophysical implications are explored through the lens of -process nucleosynthesis, where SHN survival probabilities in kilonova environments are quantified. The study concludes with a roadmap for next-generation facilities (FRIB, FAIR) and quantum computing applications to probe – nuclei and resolve remaining uncertainties in shell-gap predictions. By bridging empirical observations with ab initio theoretical models, this work advances the fundamental understanding of nuclear stability and charts a course for extending the periodic table into uncharted territory.