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Title: Early Onset of Ground State Deformation in Neutron Deficient Polonium Isotopes

Journal Article · · Physical Review Letters
;  [1]; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;  [1];  [1];  [1];  [2]; ; ;  [3]; ;  [4];  [5];  [6]
  1. Instituut voor Kern- en Stralingsfysica, K.U. Leuven, B-3001 Leuven (Belgium)
  2. Department of Physics and Biophysics, Comenius University, Bratislava 842 48 (Slovakia)
  3. Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute, 188350 Gatchina (Russian Federation)
  4. EN Department, CERN, CH-1211 Geneva 23 (Switzerland)
  5. Department of Physics, University of Manchester, Manchester, M60 1AD (United Kingdom)
  6. Institut de Physique Nucleaire d'Orsay, F-91406 Orsay (France)

In-source resonant ionization laser spectroscopy of the even-A polonium isotopes {sup 192-210,216,218}Po has been performed using the 6p{sup 3}7s {sup 5}S{sub 2} to 6p{sup 3}7p {sup 5}P{sub 2} ({lambda}=843.38 nm) transition in the polonium atom (Po-I) at the CERN ISOLDE facility. The comparison of the measured isotope shifts in {sup 200-210}Po with a previous data set allows us to test for the first time recent large-scale atomic calculations that are essential to extract the changes in the mean-square charge radius of the atomic nucleus. When going to lighter masses, a surprisingly large and early departure from sphericity is observed, which is only partly reproduced by beyond mean field calculations.

OSTI ID:
21532275
Journal Information:
Physical Review Letters, Vol. 106, Issue 5; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.106.052503; (c) 2011 American Institute of Physics; ISSN 0031-9007
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English