One-proton emission from 102Sb and its sensitivity to the proton-neutron interaction

One-proton emission from the 102Sb nucleus is discussed, assuming an inert 100Sn core and the valence proton and neutron. There are experimentally measured bound states in the 100Sn-neutron system, whereas no particle-bound 100Sn-proton state has been observed. With time-dependent three-body calculations, the 11+ground state of 102Sb is suggested as a possible proton emitter. This conclusion is reached by assuming a weakening effect on the proton-neutron (pn) interaction with respect to a bare deuteron. An analogous phenomenon is necessary to reproduce the empirical binding energies of 42Sc and 18F. Continuous shift from the unbound to bound regions by changing the pn-interaction strength is demonstrated. The lower limit of lifetime is evaluated as t 4.4×10-18s in the no-pn-interaction limit. However, the actual lifetime is expected as longer with a finite pn interaction. Observation of a resonant state in 102Sb and its decay would provide a benchmark of the pn-pairing correlation.