One of the most sought-after goals in nuclear physics is an understanding of the structure of superheavy elements in the so-called "island of stability". These nuclei contain a large number of protons ...

Researchers at CERN have made a significant breakthrough in nuclear physics by uncovering strong evidence that Tin-100 (100 Sn) has a "doubly magic" nucleus, a property that confers exceptional ...

Heavier nuclei are less stable—that’s something we all learned in school. Adding more nucleons (protons and neutrons) makes atoms more likely to break apart. It’s one reason why elements heavier than ...

Scientists have created six new isotopes of the superheavy elements, reaching in an unbroken chain of decays from element 114 down to rutherfordium. The discovery is a major step toward understanding ...

There are 118 elements. Each element is unique by virtue of the different numbers of electrons, protons, and neutrons its atoms contain. Isotopes are atoms of a given element that vary only in the ...

Since the atomic nucleus was first proposed in 1911, physicists simply assumed it was round. But are the nuclei of atoms really round? Intuitively this shape makes sense and physicists believed it ...

Among the thousands of atomic nuclei studied to date, 'doubly magic' nuclei form a very small and exclusive club. Nuclear magic numbers were identified 1 by Maria Goeppert-Mayer in 1948 as being the ...

A research team at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) is the first ever to observe a beta-delayed neutron emission ...

Theory suggests that if physicists could cram just the right amount of stuff into a nucleus, the resulting element would hit a sweet spot. It could romp on the island of stability for days, months or ...