The Study of Superheavy Elements at Ship - Present and Future

The nuclear shell model predicts that the next doubly magic shell-closure beyond ²⁰⁸Pb is at a proton number between Z = 114 and 126 and at a neutron number N = 184. The outstanding aim of experimental investigations is the exploration of this region of spherical `Superheavy Elements'. This article describes the experiments that were performed recently at the GSI SHIP. They resulted in an unambiguous identification of elements 110 to 112. They were negative so far in searching for elements 113, 116, and 118. The measured decay data are compared with theoretical predictions. Some aspects concerning the reaction mechanism and the use of radioactive beams are also presented.