Core Concepts
The alpha-decay half-lives of heavy, neutron-rich isotopes are correlated with the symmetry energy of nuclear matter, with softer symmetry energy leading to longer half-lives.
Stats
The ratio of half-lives calculated with the KIDS-D model (soft symmetry energy) to those with the KIDS-A model (stiff symmetry energy) ranged from 1.2 to 1.5 for most isotopes.
The neutron skin thickness of 208Pb calculated with KIDS-A was 0.235 fm, while for KIDS-D it was 0.168 fm, indicating a significant sensitivity to symmetry energy.