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 ...

Nuclear structure and scattering theory form the core of our understanding of atomic nuclei, unraveling how protons and neutrons interact via the strong force and arrange themselves into complex ...

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

A novel apparatus at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory has made extremely precise measurements of unstable ruthenium nuclei. The measurements are a significant ...

Nuclei are not always spherical — they can stretch and twist in subtle ways. This figure maps the relationship between modern shape parameters q 2 and η, and the classic Bohr parameters β and γ, ...

Scientists have demonstrated a new way to use high-energy particle smashups at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC)—a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science user facility for nuclear ...

A five-dimensional model accurately predicts the asymmetric fission of mercury isotopes, advancing our understanding of nuclear fission beyond traditional heavy elements such as uranium and plutonium ...