$\alpha$ decay through a deformed potential barrier produces significant mixing of angular momenta when mapped from the nuclear interior to the outside. Using experimental branching ratios and either semiclassical or coupled-channels transmission matrices, we have found that there is a set of internal amplitudes which is essentially constant for all even-even actinide nuclei. These same amplitudes also give good results for the known anisotropic $\alpha$-particle emission of the favored decays of odd nuclei in the same mass region.

• Received 30 January 1996

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.77.36