Production and Decay of ^257Rf

As part of a program aiming at the study of the heaviest elements, the production and decay of ^257Rf (Z=104) was investigated at ATLAS with the ^50Ti + ^208Pb reaction at 234 MeV. The ^257Rf residues were passed through the Fragment Mass Analyzer, which provides a direct measurement of the mass-to-charge ratio, and were implanted in a double-sided Si strip detector for subsequent study of the decay properties. The experimental technique, the identification procedure and the derived results as well as future plans will be discussed. This work was supported by the U. S. Department of Energy, Nuclear Physics Division, under Contract Nos. W-31-109-ENG-38.