A1 Journal article (refereed)
Nuclear moments of indium isotopes reveal abrupt change at magic number 82 (2022)

Vernon, A. R., Garcia Ruiz, R. F., Miyagi, T., Binnersley, C. L., Billowes, J., Bissell, M. L., Bonnard, J., Cocolios, T. E., Dobaczewski, J., Farooq-Smith, G. J., Flanagan, K. T., Georgiev, G., Gins, W., de Groote, R. P., Heinke, R., Holt, J. D., Hustings, J., Koszorús, Á., Leimbach, D., . . . Yordanov, D. T. (2022). Nuclear moments of indium isotopes reveal abrupt change at magic number 82. Nature, 607(7918), 260-265. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-04818-7

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Publication details

All authors or editors: Vernon, A. R.; Garcia Ruiz, R. F.; Miyagi, T.; Binnersley, C. L.; Billowes, J.; Bissell, M. L.; Bonnard, J.; Cocolios, T. E.; Dobaczewski, J.; Farooq-Smith, G. J.; et al.

Journal or series: Nature

ISSN: 0028-0836

eISSN: 1476-4687

Publication year: 2022

Publication date: 13/07/2022

Volume: 607

Issue number: 7918

Pages range: 260-265

Publisher: Nature Publishing Group

Publication country: United Kingdom

Publication language: English

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-04818-7

Research data link: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6406949

Publication open access: Not open

Publication channel open access:

Publication is parallel published (JYX): https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/85026

Publication is parallel published: https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/191938/

Web address of parallel published publication (pre-print): https://assets.researchsquare.com/files/rs-611360/v1_covered.pdf?c=1657782415

Abstract

In spite of the high-density and strongly correlated nature of the atomic nucleus, experimental and theoretical evidence suggests that around particular ‘magic’ numbers of nucleons, nuclear properties are governed by a single unpaired nucleon1,2. A microscopic understanding of the extent of this behaviour and its evolution in neutron-rich nuclei remains an open question in nuclear physics3,4,5. The indium isotopes are considered a textbook example of this phenomenon6, in which the constancy of their electromagnetic properties indicated that a single unpaired proton hole can provide the identity of a complex many-nucleon system6,7. Here we present precision laser spectroscopy measurements performed to investigate the validity of this simple single-particle picture. Observation of an abrupt change in the dipole moment at N = 82 indicates that, whereas the single-particle picture indeed dominates at neutron magic number N = 82 (refs. 2,8), it does not for previously studied isotopes. To investigate the microscopic origin of these observations, our work provides a combined effort with developments in two complementary nuclear many-body methods: ab initio valence-space in-medium similarity renormalization group and density functional theory (DFT). We find that the inclusion of time-symmetry-breaking mean fields is essential for a correct description of nuclear magnetic properties, which were previously poorly constrained. These experimental and theoretical findings are key to understanding how seemingly simple single-particle phenomena naturally emerge from complex interactions among protons and neutrons.

Keywords: nuclear physics; indium; isotopes; density functional theory

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Ministry reporting: Yes

Reporting Year: 2022

Preliminary JUFO rating: 3