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Laser spectroscopic measurements of isotopes near the doubly-magic 100-Sn are challenging due to difficulties in their production. Here the authors measure the ground state charge radius of the proton-rich 96-Ag isotope and find a discontinuity in the nuclear size when crossing the neutron number N equal to 50.

We determine for the first time the magnetic dipole moment of a short-lived nucleus with part-per-million (ppm) accuracy. To achieve this 2-orders-of-magnitude improvement over previous studies, we implement a number of innovations into our β-detected nuclear magnetic resonance (β-NMR) setup at ISOLDE at CERN. Using liquid samples as hosts, we obtain narrow, subkilohertz-linewidth, resonances, while a simultaneous in situ ^{1}H NMR measurement allows us to calibrate and stabilize the magnetic field to ppm precision, thus eliminating the need for additional β-NMR reference measurements. Furthermore, we use ab initio calculations of NMR shielding constants to improve the accuracy of the reference magnetic moment, thus removing a large systematic error. We demonstrate the potential of this combined approach with the 1.1 s half-life radioactive nucleus ^{26}Na, which is relevant for biochemical studies. Our technique can be readily extended to other isotopic chains, providing accurate magnetic moments for many short-lived nuclei. Furthermore, we discuss how our approach can open the path toward a wide range of applications of the ultrasensitive β-NMR in physics, chemistry, and biology.

This paper reports on the hyperfine-structure and radioactive-decay studies of the neutron-deficient francium isotopes ^{202–206}Fr performed with the Collinear Resonance Ionization Spectroscopy (CRIS) experiment at the ISOLDE facility, CERN. The high resolution innate to collinear laser spectroscopy is combined with the high efficiency of ion detection to provide a highly sensitive technique to probe the hyperfine structure of exotic isotopes. The technique of decay-assisted laser spectroscopy is presented, whereby the isomeric ion beam is deflected to a decay-spectroscopy station for alpha-decay tagging of the hyperfine components. Here, we present the first hyperfine-structure measurements of the neutron-deficient francium isotopes ^{202–206}Fr, in addition to the identification of the low-lying states of ^{202,204}Fr performed at the CRIS experiment.

With increasing demand for accurate calculation of isotope shifts of atomic systems for fundamental and nuclear structure research, an analytic energy derivative approach is presented in the relativistic coupled-cluster (CC) theory framework to determine the atomic field shift and mass shift (MS) factors. This approach allows the determination of expectation values of atomic operators, overcoming fundamental problems that are present in existing atomic physics methods, i.e. it satisfies the Hellmann–Feynman theorem, does not involve any non-terminating series, and is free from choice of any perturbative parameter. As a proof of concept, the developed analytic response relativistic CC theory has been applied to determine MS and field shift factors for different atomic states of indium. High-precision isotope-shift measurements of In were performed in the 246.8 nm (5p 2P3/2 9s 2S1/2) and 246.0 nm (5p 2P1/2 8s 2S1/2) transitions to test our theoretical results. An excellent agreement between the theoretical and measured values is found, which is known to be challenging in multi-electron atoms. The calculated atomic factors allowed an accurate determination of the nuclear charge radii of the ground and isomeric states of the In isotopes, providing an isotone-independent comparison of the absolute charge radii. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following a growing interest in spin-polarized beams of radioactive ions, a new laser spin-polarization setup has been installed at the ISOLDE facility at CERN. The setup is located at the VITO beamline which aims to bring together several experimental techniques using polarized ions allowing for studies in nuclear physics, fundamental interactions, material and life sciences. Intensive design work, which took place in 2016, allowed the installation of the first stage of the polarization line. With this experimental setup, the ion beam can be neutralized, polarized and implanted into a solid sample inside an electromagnet which also hosts β-detectors, where the degree of nuclear spin polarization can be measured. In autumn 2016 the setup was commissioned using short-lived 26Na and 28Na beams which were polarized in the D2 line from their atomic ground state. The previously observed degrees of β asymmetry were reproduced and thus the beamline is now ready for the first physics experiments with spin-polarized radioactive beams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A negative magnetic moment of 23Mg has been determined by collinear laser spectroscopy at CERN-ISOLDE. The absolute value is in agreement with previous measurements by nuclear magnetic resonance while the sign points at high-seniority configurations. The result is consistent with shell-model predictions for nuclei with valence nucleons in the sd shell. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over three and a half decades of collinear laser spectroscopy and the COLLAPS setup have played a major role in the ISOLDE physics programme. Based on a general experimental principle and diverse approaches towards higher sensitivity, it has provided unique access to basic nuclear properties such as spins, magnetic moments and electric quadrupole moments as well as isotopic variations of nuclear mean square charge radii. While previous methods of outstanding sensitivity were restricted to selected chemical elements with special atomic properties or nuclear decay modes, recent developments have yielded a breakthrough in sensitivity for nuclides in wide mass ranges. These developments include the use of bunched beams from the radiofrequency quadrupole cooler–buncher ISCOOL, which allows a suppression of background by several orders of magnitude. Very recently, the combination of collinear laser spectroscopy with the principle of laser resonance ionisation took shape in the new CRIS setup, providing a very selective and efficient detection of optical resonance. We outline the basic experimental developments and discuss important results on nuclei or chains of isotopes in different mass ranges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Collinear laser spectroscopy experiments with the Sc+ transition 3d4s 3D2 - 3d4p 3F3 at l = 363.1 nm were performed on the 42-46Sc isotopic chain using an ion guide isotope separator with a cooler-buncher. Nuclear magnetic dipole and electric quadrupole moments as well as isotope shifts were determined from the hyperfine structure for five ground states and two isomers. Extensive multi-configurational Dirac-Fock calculations were performed in order to evaluate the specific mass-shift, MSMS, and field-shift, F, parameters which allowed evaluation of the charge radii trend of the Sc isotopic sequence. The charge radii obtained show systematics more like the Ti radii, which increase towards the neutron shell closure N = 20, than the symmetric parabolic curve for Ca. The changes in mean-square charge radii of the isomeric states relative to the ground states for 44Sc and 45Sc were also extracted. The charge radii difference between the ground and isomeric states of 45Sc is in agreement with the deformation effect estimated from the B(E2) measurements but is smaller than the deformation extracted from the spectroscopic quadrupole moments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]