Nuclear physicists examine oxygen’s limits
Physicists at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory (NSCL) at Michigan State University have made a unique measurement of an exotic oxygen nucleus, leading scientists one step closer to deciphering the behavior of the element at its limits of existence.
The finding, published in Physical Review Letters, confirms a relatively new theoretical model that predicts dramatic changes in structure as one looks at heavier and heavier oxygen nuclei.
In the experiment, researchers measured a never-before-seen energy state of oxygen 23—one of the heaviest oxygen isotopes that exist.
“It was very exciting to see an experiment that was able to observe this [energy] state very close to where we predicted,” said Alex Brown, a professor a NSCL who was involved in the shaping of the theory.
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