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Atomic nuclei are often described as orderly systems. Certain numbers of protons or neutrons, called magic numbers, usually produce especially stable and spherical nuclei. These numbers fill entire ...

Physicists have discovered a surprising new “Island of Inversion” in a place no one expected: among nuclei where the number ...

Physicists working with molybdenum-84, a nucleus containing exactly 42 protons and 42 neutrons, have found that this seemingly balanced atom defies one of nuclear physics’ longest-standing ...

For decades, nuclear physicists believed that "Islands of Inversion"—regions where the normal rules of nuclear structure suddenly break down—were found mostly in neutron-rich isotopes. In these ...

Schematic figure of the experimental setup. (a) A Mo-92 beam impinges on a primary beryllium target, producing several nuclides, including Mo-86. The secondary beam then collides with a secondary ...