2024/08/15 by Robert D. Russell, Russell, R., J. Heery +69
Physics and Astronomy · #Black Holes and Theoretical Physics #FOS: Physical sciences #Nuclear Experiment (nucl-ex) #Nuclear Theory (nucl-th) #Particle physics theoretical and experimental studies #Quantum Chromodynamics and Particle Interactions
paper · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2408.08410
openalex publication_date 2024/08/15 · openalex created_date 2024/09/13 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
The region of N≈ Z≈ 40 has long been associated with strongly deformed nuclear configurations. The presence of this strong deformation was recently confirmed through lifetime measurements in N≈ Z Sr and Zr nuclei. Theoretically, however, these nuclei present a challenge due to the vast valence space required to incorporate all deformation driving interactions. Recent state-of-the-art predictions indicate a near axial prolate deformation for N=Z and N=Z+2 nuclei between N=Z=36 and N=Z=40. In this work we investigate the shores of this island of deformation through a sub-barrier Coulomb excitation study of the N=Z+4 nucleus, \textsuperscript80Sr. Extracting a spectroscopic quadrupole moment of Qs(2+1) = 0.45+0.83-0.88~eb, we find that \textsuperscript80Sr is inconsistent with significant axial prolate deformation. This indicates that the predicted region of strong prolate deformation around N=Z=40 is tightly constrained to the quartet of nuclei: \textsuperscript76,78Sr and \textsuperscript78,80Zr.