Atomic nuclei exhibit multiple energy scales simultaneously—ranging from hundreds down to fractions of a megaelectronvolt. A new study demonstrates that these drastically different scales can be explained through calculations based on the strong nuclear force. The research also predicts that the atomic nucleus neon-30 exhibits several coexisting shapes.

“This discovery is incredibly important for understanding the stability limits of visible matter and how they can be anchored in our theory of the strong force,” says Christian Forssén, professor at the Department of Physics at Chalmers University of Technology.

Together with Andreas Ekström, professor at the same department, they have been part of the research group that has now published their findings in Physical Review X. In addition to Chalmers, the researchers behind the study are active at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Tennessee in the United States.