Entrance-channel potentials in synthesis of the heaviest nuclei, muon catalysis of superheavy element formation

Entrance-channel potentials in nucleus-nucleus collisions, relevant for the synthesis of superheavy elements, are systematically studied within a semi-microscopic approach, where microscopic nuclear densities are used in semi-classical expressions of the energy-density functional. The existence of pockets in the entrance-channel potentials is crucial for heavy-ion fusion. It is shown that a muon bound with the light projectile induces the production of superheavy elements in nucleus-nucleus collisions.