Spontaneous fission properties of {sup 262}{sub 104}Rf

We have measured the mass and kinetic-energy distributions of fragments from the spontaneous fission (SF) of {sup 262}{sub 104}Rf. The {sup 262}{sub 104}Rf was produced via the {sup 244}Pu({sup 22}Ne,4{ital n}) reaction with a production cross section of {approximately}0.7 nb using 114.4-MeV projectiles. The kinetic energies and times of the coincident fission fragments were measured using our rotating wheel system. From these data the half-life, mass, and kinetic-energy distributions were derived. The total kinetic-energy (TKE) distribution appears to consist of a single component with a most probable pre-neutron-emission TKE of 215{plus_minus}2 MeV. The mass distribution is symmetric with a full width at half maximum of about 22 mass numbers. These results are consistent with trends observed for other trans-berkelium spontaneously fissioning isotopes. We determined the half-life to be 2.1{plus_minus}0.2 s by measuring its spontaneous fission decay. We also attempted to observe the alpha decay of {sup 262}{sub 104}Rf by searching for alpha decay correlated in time with SF from the alpha daughter, 1.2-ms {sup 258}No. We observed no such decays and have set an upper limit of 0.8{percent} (68{percent} confidence level) on the alpha decay branch of {sup 262}{sub 104}Rf. {copyright} {ital 1996 The American Physical Society.}