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Feb 27, 2023

Shape-shifting experiment challenges interpretation of how cadmium nuclei move

Posted by in category: physics

Atomic nuclei take a range of shapes, from spherical (like a basketball) to deformed (like an American football). Spherical nuclei are often described by the motion of a small fraction of the protons and neutrons, while deformed nuclei tend to rotate as a collective whole.

A third kind of motion has been proposed since the 1950s. In this motion, known as nuclear vibration, fluctuate about an average shape. Scientists recently investigated cadmium-106 using a technique called Coulomb excitation to probe its . They found clear experimental evidence that the vibrational description fails for this isotope’s nucleus. This finding is counter to the expected results.

Research published in Physics Letters B builds on a long quest to understand the transition between spherical and deformed . This transition often includes vibrational motion as an intermediate step. The new result suggests that may need to revise the long-standing paradigm describing how this transition occurs.

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