Nuclear isomers in superheavy elements as stepping stones towards the island of stability

R.-D. Herzberg (), P. T. Greenlees, P. A. Butler, G. D. Jones, M. Venhart, I. G. Darby, S. Eeckhaudt, K. Eskola, T. Grahn, C. Gray-Jones, F. P. Hessberger, P. Jones, R. Julin, S. Juutinen, S. Ketelhut, W. Korten, M. Leino, A.-P. Leppänen, S. Moon, M. Nyman, R. D. Page, J. Pakarinen, A. Pritchard, P. Rahkila, J. Sarén, C. Scholey, A. Steer, Y. Sun, Ch. Theisen and J. Uusitalo
Additional contact information
R.-D. Herzberg: University of Liverpool
P. T. Greenlees: University of Jyväskylä
P. A. Butler: University of Liverpool
G. D. Jones: University of Liverpool
M. Venhart: Comenius University
I. G. Darby: University of Liverpool
S. Eeckhaudt: University of Jyväskylä
K. Eskola: University of Helsinki
T. Grahn: University of Jyväskylä
C. Gray-Jones: University of Liverpool
F. P. Hessberger: Gesellschaft für Schwerionenforschung (GSI)
P. Jones: University of Jyväskylä
R. Julin: University of Jyväskylä
S. Juutinen: University of Jyväskylä
S. Ketelhut: University of Jyväskylä
W. Korten: DAPNIA/SPhN, CEA Saclay
M. Leino: University of Jyväskylä
A.-P. Leppänen: University of Jyväskylä
S. Moon: University of Liverpool
M. Nyman: University of Jyväskylä
R. D. Page: University of Liverpool
J. Pakarinen: University of Liverpool
A. Pritchard: University of Liverpool
P. Rahkila: University of Jyväskylä
J. Sarén: University of Jyväskylä
C. Scholey: University of Jyväskylä
A. Steer: University of Jyväskylä
Y. Sun: University of Notre Dame
Ch. Theisen: DAPNIA/SPhN, CEA Saclay
J. Uusitalo: University of Jyväskylä

Nature, 2006, vol. 442, issue 7105, 896-899

Abstract: This island race The stability of an atomic nucleus is determined by the outcome of a tug-of-war between the attractive strong nuclear force and the repulsive electrostatic force between the protons in the nucleus. If 100 protons and about 150 neutrons or more are assembled into a nucleus, the repulsion usually becomes dominant and causes the nucleus to fission. For certain 'magic numbers' of protons and neutrons this repulsion can be overcome and the nucleus stabilized. In particular an 'island of stability' is predicted beyond the actinides, where long-lived or even stable superheavy elements can exist, but its precise limits are unknown. Experiments can help determine where this island lies, however. Spectroscopy of the nobelium isotope, 254No reveals three excited structures, two of them metastable. This finding will help to constrain nuclear models of the superheavy elements, and provides more data for the search for the next magic numbers.

Date: 2006
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DOI: 10.1038/nature05069

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