Oak Ridge National Laboratory and CERN researchers have combined experiments from two continents and two decades to reveal how neutrons affect nuclear stability. The team studied 31 tin isotopes with varying neutron numbers, providing insights that impact nuclear energy and national security applications .
Scientists from Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and CERN have published new findings on how neutrons influence nuclear stability. The research combines experiments conducted at ORNL between 2002 and 2012 with recent measurements at CERN’s ISOLDE facility. The results appear in Physical Review Letters .
The team includes Alfredo Galindo-Uribarri of ORNL, who participated in both phases of the research. “These studies provided essential insights that help us understand the evolution of nuclear properties,” Galindo-Uribarri said.
Tin sits at the center of the nuclear map with 50 protons, a “magic number” that creates special stability. By studying 31 different tin isotopes — versions with different numbers of neutrons — physicists can observe how adding or removing neutrons changes the nucleus.
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The earlier ORNL measurements used the Holifield Radioactive Ion Beam Facility to study neutron-rich tin isotopes. Researchers developed a technique using sulfur contamination to create pure beams of short-lived isotopes like tin-132, which lives only 40 seconds before decaying . This work was so influential that the American Physical Society named the Holifield facility a historic physics site in 2016 .
The key discovery was confirming tin-132 as “doubly magic” — meaning it has full outer shells of both protons and neutrons . This configuration makes the nucleus especially stable and rigid, requiring much more energy to excite than ordinary isotopes .
At CERN, researchers used laser spectroscopy to measure how nuclear properties change across the full range of tin isotopes. These measurements helped physicists understand why some isotopes resist deformation while others become easier to excit.
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However, studying the most exotic isotopes remains extremely challenging. The tin-134 beam, which has two extra neutrons beyond the doubly-magic shell, had only 3,000 particles per second to work with — a tiny amount compared to typical beams . Researchers had to design highly optimized detectors and experiments to measure anything at all .
Understanding these nuclear properties matters for real-world applications. The data helps improve theoretical models used in nuclear energy research and national security. It also illuminates the “R-process” in supernovae, where more than half of the elements heavier than iron are formed as neutrons rapidly accumulate on seed nuclei .
