6533b85efe1ef96bd12bfc3c
RESEARCH PRODUCT
Direct Mapping of Nuclear Shell Effects in the Heaviest Elements
Wolfgang R. PlaßKlaus BlaumE. HaettnerP. G. ThirolfSergey EliseevJens KetelaerLutz SchweikhardF. HerfurthChristian WeberE. Minaya RamirezC. ScheidenbergerM. EibachStefan G. HofmannM. MazzoccoYu. N. NovikovM. DworschakCh. E. DüllmannF. P. HeßbergerDmitrii NesterenkoMichael BlockDieter AckermannC. DroeseGerrit MarxDaniel Rodríguezsubject
PhysicsMultidisciplinaryIsotopeNuclear TheoryBinding energyShell (structure)FOS: Physical scienceschemistry.chemical_elementIsland of stabilityNuclear physicschemistryNeutron numberNobeliumAtomic numberNuclear Experiment (nucl-ex)Nuclear ExperimentNuclear ExperimentLawrenciumdescription
Quantum-mechanical shell effects are expected to strongly enhance nuclear binding on an "island of stability" of superheavy elements. The predicted center at proton number $Z=114,120$, or $126$ and neutron number $N=184$ has been substantiated by the recent synthesis of new elements up to $Z=118$. However the location of the center and the extension of the island of stability remain vague. High-precision mass spectrometry allows the direct measurement of nuclear binding energies and thus the determination of the strength of shell effects. Here, we present such measurements for nobelium and lawrencium isotopes, which also pin down the deformed shell gap at $N=152$.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-01-01 | Science |