Physicists have discovered a surprising new “Island of Inversion” in a place no one expected: among nuclei where the number ...

A new experiment using rare-isotope beams has provided new insight into the origin of proton-rich isotopes known as p-nuclei.

Physicists have found a new “island of inversion” in the nucleus of molybdenum-84, a perfectly balanced atom with equal numbers of protons and neutrons. The discovery upends a decades-old assumption ...

For most atomic nuclei, the maximum number of neutrons that can be bound is unknown. The discovery of two neutron-rich nuclei — and the confirmed absence of others — might help solve this conundrum.

Scientists have created six new isotopes of the superheavy elements, reaching in an unbroken chain of decays from element 114 down to rutherfordium. The discovery is a major step toward understanding ...

Nuclear physicists have made the most neutron-rich form of sodium yet, which will help reveal more about the complex world of nuclei. Image by KTSDESIGN/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY In extremely neutron-rich ...

The nucleus of each atom contains protons and neutrons. While the number of protons defines the element (e.g., hydrogen, carbon, etc.) and the sum of the protons and neutrons gives the atomic mass, ...

Andrew Rogers: physicists have spotted mirror symmetry violation in strontium-73 and bromine-73. (Courtesy: UMass Lowell) Physicists in the US have made the surprising discovery that two nuclear ...

The inclusion of the long-neglected tensor force into theoretical models revises our understanding of ‘magic numbers’ in the atomic nucleus The world of nuclear physics is a relatively ordered one.

The strongest force in the Universe is the one that holds together the protons and neutrons in an atom’s nucleus. To unlock how elements are forged, the physics of neutron stars and more, scientists ...

The word magic is not often used in the context of science. But in the early 1930s, scientists discovered that some atomic nuclei – the center part of atoms, which make up all matter – were more ...