Measurements of the half-life of 246Cm and the α-decay emission probabilities of 246Cm and 250Cf

The α-decay half-life of Cm246 has been measured to be T1/2=4706 (40) yr by means of the alpha-counting of ingrowth activity following the decay of a mass separated source of the Cf250 parent nuclide. The α-decay emission probabilities of Cm246 and Cf250 have also been determined with high precision and have been compared with results from previous measurements. A new α-decay branch of Cm246 to the 4+ level of the ground-state band of the Pu242 daughter nucleus has been identified and characterized.