Nuclear Structure, Decay, and Synthesis of Heavy and Superheavy Nuclei
This community investigates the internal structure, stability, and formation of atomic nuclei, with a specific focus on heavy and superheavy elements, to map the boundaries of the periodic table and understand fundamental nuclear forces.
The research centers on the synthesis of superheavy elements, the measurement of their decay half-lives, and the determination of nuclear properties such as charge radii and mass. Key methodologies include heavy-ion collisions, alpha decay spectroscopy, and density functional theory modeling. The work frequently addresses the shell model, neutron-rich isotopes, and spontaneous fission to characterize the limits of nuclear stability. Specific applications include the production of new elements like Livermorium and the precise evaluation of nuclear physics properties for elements such as uranium, thorium, and radium. The community also explores the interplay between nuclear structure and fundamental symmetries, including weak form factors and chiral effective field theory, to refine theoretical models of the atomic nucleus.
The largest share of the community's output is found in radium research, accounting for 4.1% of all radium research, and 773 papers here. Uranium research follows with 1.4% of its total research output, and thorium with 1.9%.
The community comprises 42,480 papers, published primarily in Physical Review C, Physical Review, and Nuclear Physics A.
Recent work includes the observation of exotic molybdenum isotopes, charge radius measurements of tin isotopes near neutron shell closures, and beta-decay half-life surveys approaching the neutron dripline.