Primordial Superheavy Element 126

Based on the shell corrections obtained from an extrapolated potential, the superheavy nucleus 126 in a spherical configuration does not appear to have a half-life as long as the age of the universe. Hartree-Fock calculations with Skyrme interactions do not reveal extra stability for element 126 ($A=354\mathrm{}$). There is thus the possibility that the primordial superheavy element 126 observed by Gentry et al may not be spherical. The distinction between spherical and toroidal shapes can be made by measuring the mass number of the observed superheavy element.