Brief annotation and scientific rationale:

The Project aims to study the heaviest nuclei and atoms in a comprehensive way: conducting experiments on the synthesis of elements with Z=119 and 120; synthesizing new isotopes of superheavy elements; studying nuclear (spectroscopy) and chemical properties of superheavy elements; investigating nuclear reaction dynamics, including multi-nucleon transfer, leading to the formation of neutron-rich heavy nuclei.

The project will be implemented mainly at the Superheavy Element Factory of JINR commissioned in 2020. The studies on nuclear reaction dynamics will be carried out at the U-400 accelerator complex and will proceed at the U-400R following the upgrade.

Expected results upon project completion:

1. Synthesis of new superheavy elements 119 and 120.
2. Study of the chemical properties of SHE.
3. Synthesis of superheavy nuclei and study of their decay properties.
4. Investigation of the chemical properties of superheavy elements.
5. Spectroscopy of the radioactive decay of heavy and superheavy nuclei.
6. First experiments aimed to measure the masses of superheavy nuclei.
7. Study of the dynamics of heavy-ion nuclear reactions.

Expected results of the project in the current year:

1. Experiments at the DGFRS-2 separator of the SHE Factory aimed to study production cross sections of nuclei in reactions with ⁴⁸Са, ⁵⁰Ti, ⁵⁴Cr, ⁵⁸Fe ions and the properties of synthesized nuclei.
2. Test experiments for synthesizing elements with Z>118.
3. Experiments aimed at studying the properties of the radioactive decay (α-, β-decay, spontaneous fission properties) of short-lived  isotopes with Z>100 (No, Rf, and Sg) produced in reactions with Ne, Ca, Ti, and Cr ions at the SHELS and GRAND (DGFRS-3) separators using the GABRIELA and SFiNX detecting systems.
4. Experiments for studying the chemical properties of Cn and Fl at the SHE Factory.
5. Development of methods for manufacturing accelerating targets of stable and radioactive isotopes, stable under long irradiation with high-intensity heavy-ion beams.
6. Development of techniques for producing metal-organic alloys of  titanium and chrome for accelerating their ions using the MIVOC method.
7. Investigation of mass-energy and angular distributions of fragments formed in multinucleon transfer reactions.
8. Study of the entrance channel influence on the mass-energy and angular distributions of fragments formed in heavy-ion reactions.

The investigations aim to study the structure of light nuclei and nuclear systems near and beyond the borders of nuclear stability using direct nuclear reactions (charge-exchange, one- or two-nucleon transfer), to investigate rare decay channels and the influence of reaction mechanisms on the observed properties of the studied nuclei. Direct reactions employed for studying the structure of isotopes near the borders of nuclear stability allow for more reliable data acquisition and the revision of existing knowledge. The experimental programme will be mainly implemented at the ACCULINNA-1,2 and MAVR setups using the upgraded U-400M accelerator complex of FLNR JINR that allow a wide range of experimental studies of light exotic nuclei using secondary beams in the energy range of 5–50 MeV/nucleon.

The ACCULINNA-2 separator is equipped with a radio frequency filter for additional purification of secondary beams, a magnetic spectrometer for reaction product separation, a cryogenic target complex of hydrogen and helium isotopes, an array of neutron detectors based on stilbene crystals, and systems for the registration of charged particles.

Expected results upon project completion:

1. Study of the properties of the drip-line isotopes of light nuclei.
2. First experiments using the tritium target.
3. Structure of the drip-line isotopes of light nuclei in (d,p) and (d,n), (t,p), (t,a), (p,d), etc. reactions
4. Studies of exotic decays, including 2-n, 4-n, and 2-p emission

Expected results of the project in the current year:

1. Study of nuclei near the boundaries of nucleon stability. Conduct of the first experiment ^6,8He+⁴He. Preparation for and conduct of experiments at the ACCULINNA-2 fragment separator using radioactive beams and the cryogenic targets H₂, D₂, ³He,⁴He.
2. Investigation of the isotopes of oxygen and fluorine at nucleon drip-lines using the missing mass method at the MAVR set-up.
3. Experiments on measuring the cross sections of individual reaction channels at ACCULINNA-1 employing the MULTI spectrometer