Nuclear structure & decays is a research area in nuclear physics that investigates the internal configuration, quantum states, and dynamical behavior of atomic nuclei, along with the mechanisms by which unstable nuclei transform via radioactive decay. It encompasses the development and application of models such as shell, collective, and mean-field theories to describe nucleon distributions, energy levels, and transition probabilities, and studies decay modes including alpha, beta, gamma, and fission processes. The field integrates experimental spectroscopy, reaction studies, and advanced many-body calculations to elucidate nuclear forces, shape coexistence, isomerism, and the evolution of structure far from stability, informing both fundamental theory and applications in astrophysics and nuclear technology.
Does the proton decay? While this was a famous prediction of Grand Unified Theories (GUTS) developed in the 1970s and 1980s, experimentalists have ruled it out—or rather, put lower limits on its mean lifetime of about 1034 ...
In recent years, some large physics experiments worldwide have been trying to gather evidence of a nuclear process known as neutrinoless double beta (0νββ) decay. This is a rare process that entails the simultaneous decay ...
For decades, atomic clocks have been the pinnacle of precision timekeeping, enabling GPS navigation, cutting-edge physics research, and tests of fundamental theories. But researchers at JILA, led by JILA and NIST Fellow and ...
General Physics
Mar 17, 2025
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For the first time, scientists have acquired direct evidence of rare, pulsing pear-shaped structures within atomic nuclei of the rare-earth element gadolinium, thanks to new research led by the University of Surrey, the National ...
General Physics
Mar 17, 2025
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In a surprising turn of events, an international team of scientists has found that lead-208 (208Pb), the heaviest known "doubly magic" nucleus, exhibits unexpected shape characteristics that current nuclear models fail to ...
An international research collaboration led by the University of Surrey's Nuclear Physics Group has overturned the long-standing belief that the atomic nucleus of lead-208 (²⁰⁸Pb) is perfectly spherical. The discovery ...
General Physics
Feb 22, 2025
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Ever since physicist Ernest Rutherford discovered the atomic nucleus in 1911, studying its structure and behavior has remained a challenging task. More than a century later, even with today's high-tech tools for researching ...
General Physics
Feb 19, 2025
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When atoms collide, their exact structure—for example, the number of electrons they have or even the quantum spin of their nuclei—has a lot to say about how they bounce off each other. This is especially true for atoms ...
General Physics
Feb 18, 2025
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Atomic nuclei exhibit multiple energy scales simultaneously—ranging from hundreds down to fractions of a megaelectronvolt. A new study demonstrates that these drastically different scales can be explained through calculations ...
General Physics
Feb 18, 2025
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Called the Lévy walk (or in some cases the Lévy flight) after mathematician Paul Lévy, it is a type of random wandering that occurs in nature in a wide variety of ways, from predators searching for food to economic, microbiological, ...
General Physics
Feb 18, 2025
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