Some atoms are stable, while others seem to fall apart. Lead-208 will probably last forever, while the synthetic isotope technetium-99 exists for just hours. The difference lies in the structure of ...

Scientists have uncovered an unexpected breakdown of nuclear order in a remarkably symmetric atom, challenging long-standing ...

Atomic nuclei are often described as orderly systems. Certain numbers of protons or neutrons, called magic numbers, usually produce especially stable and spherical nuclei. These numbers fill entire ...

The red ball, blue star and black square represent the corresponding results of Rn, Ra and Th isotopes, respectively. In the shell model, the neutron number N=126 is regarded as a neutron magic number ...

Mirror magic: The "cores" of the exotic nuclei oxygen-22 and silicon-22 both resemble that of oxygen-16, with eight protons and eight neutrons. The neutron-rich oxygen isotope contains an additional ...

Magic numbers usually keep nuclei stable and spherical, but radioactive isotopes have revealed “Islands of Inversion,” where ...