Problem of “deformed” superheavy nuclei

The problem of experimental confirmation of deformed shapes of superheavy nuclei situated in the neighborhood of ²⁷⁰Hs is discussed. Measurement of the energy E₂₊ of the lowest $2+$ state in even-even species of these nuclei is considered as a method for this confirmation. The energy is calculated in the cranking approximation for heavy and superheavy nuclei. Branching ratio p₂₊/p₀₊ between α decay of a nucleus to this lowest $2+$ state and to the ground state $0+$ of its daughter is also calculated for these nuclei. The results indicate that a measurement of the energy E₂₊ for some superheavy nuclei by electron or α spectroscopy is a promising method for the confirmation of their deformed shapes.