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Mass measurements of 99–101In challenge ab initio nuclear theory of the nuclide 100Sn
The tin isotope 100 Sn is of singular interest for nuclear structure due to its closed-shell proton and neutron configurations. It is also the heaviest nucleus comprising protons and neutrons in equal numbers—a feature that enhances the contribution of the short-range proton–neutron pairing interact...
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Published in: | Nature physics 2021-09, Vol.17 (10), p.1099-1103 |
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Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Subjects: | |
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Online Access: | Get full text |
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Summary: | The tin isotope
100
Sn is of singular interest for nuclear structure due to its closed-shell proton and neutron configurations. It is also the heaviest nucleus comprising protons and neutrons in equal numbers—a feature that enhances the contribution of the short-range proton–neutron pairing interaction and strongly influences its decay via the weak interaction. Decay studies in the region of
100
Sn have attempted to prove its doubly magic character
1
but few have studied it from an ab initio theoretical perspective
2
,
3
, and none of these has addressed the odd-proton neighbours, which are inherently more difficult to describe but crucial for a complete test of nuclear forces. Here we present direct mass measurements of the exotic odd-proton nuclide
100
In, the beta-decay daughter of
100
Sn, and of
99
In, with one proton less than
100
Sn. We use advanced mass spectrometry techniques to measure
99
In, which is produced at a rate of only a few ions per second, and to resolve the ground and isomeric states in
101
In. The experimental results are compared with ab initio many-body calculations. The 100-fold improvement in precision of the
100
In mass value highlights a discrepancy in the atomic-mass values of
100
Sn deduced from recent beta-decay results
4
,
5
.
Accurate mass measurements of the indium isotopes adjacent to the doubly magic
100
Sn provide critical benchmarks for ab initio theory, which withstands the challenge. |
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ISSN: | 1745-2473 1745-2481 |
DOI: | 10.1038/s41567-021-01326-9 |