Early onset of ground-state deformation in the neutron-deficient polonium isotopes

• Published in: arXiv.org 2010-10
• Main Authors: Cocolios, T E, Dexters, W, Seliverstov, M D, Andreyev, A N, Antalic, S, Barzakh, A E, Bastin, B, Buscher, J, Darby, I G, Fedorov, D V, Fedosseyev, V N, Flanagan, K T, Franchoo, S, Fritzsche, S, Huber, G, Huyse, M, Keupers, M, Koster, U, Kudryavtsev, Yu, Mane, E, Marsh, B A, Molkanov, P L, Page, R D, Sjoedin, A M, Stefan, I, Van de Walle, J, P Van Duppen, Venhart, M, Zemlyanoy, S G, Bender, M, P -H Heenen
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Atomic radius; Deformation; Ionization; Mathematical analysis; Nuclei (nuclear physics); Polonium; Polonium isotopes
• ISSN: 2331-8422
• DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.1010.2103

In-source resonant ionization laser spectroscopy of the even-\(A\) polonium isotopes \(^{192-210,216,218}\)Po has been performed using the \(6p^37s\) \(^5S_2\) to \(6p^37p\) \(^5P_2\) (\(\lambda=843.38\) nm) transition in the polonium atom (Po-I) at the CERN ISOLDE facility. The comparison of the measured isotope shifts in \(^{200-210}\)Po with a previous data set allows 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.