Mirror-symmetry violation in bound nuclear ground states

D. E. M. Hoff (), A. M. Rogers (), S. M. Wang, P. C. Bender, K. Brandenburg, K. Childers, J. A. Clark, A. C. Dombos, E. R. Doucet, S. Jin, R. Lewis, S. N. Liddick, C. J. Lister, Z. Meisel, C. Morse, W. Nazarewicz, H. Schatz, K. Schmidt, D. Soltesz, S. K. Subedi and S. Waniganeththi
Additional contact information
D. E. M. Hoff: University of Massachusetts Lowell
A. M. Rogers: University of Massachusetts Lowell
S. M. Wang: Michigan State University
P. C. Bender: University of Massachusetts Lowell
K. Brandenburg: Ohio University
K. Childers: Michigan State University
J. A. Clark: Argonne National Laboratory
A. C. Dombos: Michigan State University
E. R. Doucet: University of Massachusetts Lowell
S. Jin: Michigan State University
R. Lewis: Michigan State University
S. N. Liddick: Michigan State University
C. J. Lister: University of Massachusetts Lowell
Z. Meisel: Ohio University
C. Morse: University of Massachusetts Lowell
W. Nazarewicz: Michigan State University
H. Schatz: Michigan State University
K. Schmidt: Michigan State University
D. Soltesz: Ohio University
S. K. Subedi: Ohio University
S. Waniganeththi: University of Massachusetts Lowell

Nature, 2020, vol. 580, issue 7801, 52-55

Abstract: Abstract Conservation laws are deeply related to any symmetry present in a physical system1,2. Analogously to electrons in atoms exhibiting spin symmetries3, it is possible to consider neutrons and protons in the atomic nucleus as projections of a single fermion with an isobaric spin (isospin) of t = 1/2 (ref. 4). Every nuclear state is thus characterized by a total isobaric spin T and a projection Tz—two quantities that are largely conserved in nuclear reactions and decays5,6. A mirror symmetry emerges from this isobaric-spin formalism: nuclei with exchanged numbers of neutrons and protons, known as mirror nuclei, should have an identical set of states7, including their ground state, labelled by their total angular momentum J and parity π. Here we report evidence of mirror-symmetry violation in bound nuclear ground states within the mirror partners strontium-73 and bromine-73. We find that a J π = 5/2− spin assignment is needed to explain the proton-emission pattern observed from the T = 3/2 isobaric-analogue state in rubidium-73, which is identical to the ground state of strontium-73. Therefore the ground state of strontium-73 must differ from its J π = 1/2− mirror bromine-73. This observation offers insights into charge-symmetry-breaking forces acting in atomic nuclei.

Date: 2020
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2123-1

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