Browse Physics

Researchers test a candidate nuclear model against $126$ neutron-rich isotopes.

Laser spectroscopy of cadmium isotopes confirms the applicability of the nuclear shell model, even for very complex structures.

Germanium-76 is a rare example of a nucleus with a triaxial symmetry in its ground state.

Lasers produce a beam of neutrons intense enough for practical experiments, extending the reach of neutron sources to small-scale laboratories.

A precise mass measurement of an exotic zinc isotope gives new insight into the composition of the crust of neutron stars, the possible birthplace of heavy elements.

Muon capture experiments provide a rare opportunity to measure the effects of quark interactions in the proton.

A new way of topologically labeling the pasta phases thought to exist in neutron stars could help researchers sort out how the phases contribute to star cooling.

A proposed mechanism for photon production in quark-gluon plasma can increase our understanding of its properties.

A theoretical proposal offers a technique for storing an x-ray photon and releasing it with its quantum properties fully intact.

The discoverers of element 117 have followed through with a year-long study of the lifetime and decay products of the newest superheavy element.

Cosmic rays may be used to capture images of damaged reactors at the Fukushima power plant in Japan.

New calculations of core-collapse supernovae show how bizarre nuclear structures—called pasta—develop in the dense core of a dying star.

Knocking out neutrons or protons from an isotope of oxygen provides a successful test of an equation that relates nuclear masses.

A new limit on the half-life of neutrinoless double-beta decay sets an upper limit on the Majorana neutrino mass

Theorists predict that the matter surrounding some black holes may be hot enough for nuclear fusion, which could generate lithium and deepen the mysteries surrounding lithium in the universe.

Gamma-ray spectroscopy of the superheavy nucleus ${}^{256}$Rutherfordium reveals details of its nonspherical shape and internal structure—the heaviest element for which such information has been obtained.

Singly ionized helium-6 is an ideal atom for testing the quantum mechanical response of electrons to a decaying nucleus.

Measurements of radioactive, neutron-rich isotopes of argon are paving the way for experiments at new facilities that will explore the neutron dripline.

An updated proposal for a clock based on the excited states of a nucleus could keep time better than existing clocks that use electronic states.

Electron scattering techniques could provide more accurate measures of the distribution of neutrons in heavy nuclei.