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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 91 records · Page 5
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Abrupt structural transition in exotic molybdenum isotopes unveils an isospin-symmetric island of inversion

Like electrons in atoms, protons and neutrons in nuclei occupy orbitals in a shell structure with energy gaps at magic numbers. Radioactive-beam experiments revealed the disappearance of magic numbers in some neutron-rich isotopes. In these nuclei, configurations involving particles excited across the shell gap gain correlation energy, becoming the ground state. Neutron-rich regions of the nuclear chart that exhibit this property are known as “Islands of Inversion”. Here we present the lifetime measurement of the first 2 + states in 84 Mo (N = Z) and 86 Mo (N = Z + 2) revealing an unexpected sharp structural change between them defining the edge of the region of deformation around 80 Zr. Similarly to the neutron-rich N = 40 Island of Inversion near 64 Cr where cross-shell excitations dominate, we identify this region as an Island of Inversion with symmetrical proton and neutron excitations that we term “Isospin-Symmetric Island of Inversion”. Three-nucleon forces are suggested to drive Mo isotope structural changes.

experimental nuclear physics↗
DOE OSTI2016

Short-Range Correlations and Their Implications for Isospin-Dependent Modification of Nuclear Quark Distributions

The past decade has provided a much clearer picture of the structure of highmomentum components in nucleons, associated with hard, short-distance interactions between pairs of nucleons. Recent Jefferson Lab data on light nuclei suggest a connection between these so-called ’short-range correlations’ and the modification of the quark structure of nucleons in the nuclear environment. In light of this discovery that the detailed nuclear structure is important in describing the nuclear quark distributions, we examine the potential impact of the isospin-dependent structure of nuclei to see at what level this might yield flavor-dependent effects in nuclear quark distributions.

Arrington, John↗
DOE OSTI2022

The impact of isospin dependence of pairing on fission barriers in the fission cycling regions

A systematic analysis of the ground state and fission properties of actinides and superheavy nuclei important for the r process modeling has been performed within the framework of covariant density functional theory for the first time in Ref. A brief review of the results related to the heights of primary fission barriers and systematic uncertainties in their prediction is presented. In addition, new results on the potential impact of the isospin dependence of pairing on fission barriers in fission cycling regions is provided for the first time.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Isospin-breaking contributions to ε '/ε

We present an updated analysis of isospin-violating corrections to ε '/ε in the framework of chiral perturbation theory, taking advantage of the currently improved knowledge on quark masses and nonperturbative parameters. The role of the different ingredients entering into the analysis is carefully assessed. Our final result is ${\Omega }_{\text{eff}}={0.110}_{-0.088}^{+0.090}$ [1].

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Search for the isospin-violating decays 𝜒 𝑐⁢𝐽 → $Λ\bar{⁢Σ}^0$ + c.c. and 𝜂 𝑐 → $Λ\bar{⁢Σ}^0$ + c.c.

Using a sample of (2712.4 ± 14.3) × 10 6 𝜓⁡(3686) events collected with the BESIII detector, we perform a search for the isospin-violating decays 𝜒 𝑐⁢𝐽 → $Λ\bar{⁢Σ}^0$ + c.c.(𝐽 = 0,1,2) and 𝜂 𝑐 → $Λ\bar{⁢Σ}^0$ + c.c. No significant signal for 𝜒 𝑐⁢𝐽 or 𝜂 𝑐 is observed in the $Λ\bar{⁢Σ}^0$ invariant mass distribution. The upper limits on the branching fractions at the 90% confidence level are set to be ℬ⁡(𝜒 𝑐⁢0 → $Λ\bar{⁢Σ}^0$ + c.c.) < 1.5 × 10 −6 , ℬ⁡(𝜒 𝑐⁢1 → $Λ\bar{⁢Σ}^0$ + c.c.) < 1.6 × 10 −6 , ℬ⁡(𝜒 𝑐⁢2 → $Λ\bar{⁢Σ}^0$ + c.c.) < 1.7 × 10 −6 , and ℬ⁡(𝜂 𝑐 → $Λ\bar{⁢Σ}^0$ + c.c.) < 6.2 × 10 −5 for the first time.

Ablikim, M. [Institute of High Energy Physics] (OR↗
DOE OSTI2025

Emerging tension between isospin symmetry and nuclear deformation at 𝐴 = 78

Since the nuclear interaction is, to first order, isospin independent, simple relationships can be derived for 𝐸⁢2 strengths across isobaric analog states within an isobaric triplet. At the same time, there is a well-known relationship between the 2 + excitation energy and the 𝐵(𝐸⁢2;2 + → 0 + ) transition strength in deformed even-even nuclei. Here, we highlight a tension between these two trends in the 𝐴 = 78 isobaric triplet. Recent level-energy determinations indicate that the proton-rich member of the triplet, 78 Zr, is strongly deformed while recent lifetime measurements in 78 Sr and 78 Y, as extrapolated into 78 Zr, would imply that 78 Zr is weakly deformed. Furthermore, we explore the implications of this apparent contradiction and explore potential solutions.

59 ≤ A ≤ 89↗
DOE OSTI2025

Analysis of Σ* via isospin selective reaction 𝐾 𝐿 ⁢𝑝 →𝜋 + ⁢Σ 0

The isospin-selective reaction 𝐾 𝐿 ⁢𝑝 →𝜋 + ⁢Σ 0 provides a clean probe for investigating 𝐼 =1 Σ* resonances. In this work, we perform an analysis of this reaction using an effective Lagrangian approach for the first time, incorporating the well-established Σ⁡(1189)⁢1/2 + , Σ⁡(1385)⁢3/2 + , Σ⁡(1670)⁢3/2 − , and Σ⁡(1775)⁢5/2 − states, while also exploring contributions from other unestablished states. By fitting the available differential cross-section and recoil polarization data, adhering to partial-wave phase conventions same as the Particle Data Group, we find that besides the established resonances, contributions from Σ⁡(1660)⁢1/2 + , Σ⁡(1580)⁢3/2 − , and a Σ*⁢(1/2 − ) improve the description. Notably, a Σ*⁢(1/2 − ) resonance with mass around 1.54 GeV, consistent with Σ⁡(1620)⁢1/2 − , is found to be essential for describing the data in this channel, a stronger indication than found in previous analyses focusing on 𝜋⁢Λ final states. While providing complementary support for Σ⁡(1660)⁢1/2 + and Σ⁡(1580)⁢3/2 − , our results highlight the importance of the Σ⁡(1620)⁢1/2 − region in 𝐾 𝐿 ⁢𝑝 →𝜋 + ⁢Σ 0 . Future high-precision measurements are needed to solidify these findings and further constrain the Σ* spectrum.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Identification of Prompt Proton Emission in $N = Z - 1$ 61 Ga: Isospin Symmetry at the Limit of Nuclear Binding

Excited states in the proton drip line nucleus 61 Ga were populated via the fusion-evaporation reaction 24 Mg ⁢( 40 Ca, 𝑝⁢2⁢𝑛)⁢ 61 Ga. The experimental setup at Argonne National Laboratory comprised a novel combination of the Gammasphere array with two CD-shaped double-sided Si-strip detectors inside the Microball CsI(Tl) charged-particle detection array, as well as the Neutron-Shell liquid scintillators and the Fragment Mass Analyzer. Owing to the setup’s unprecedented in-beam proton spectroscopy and tracking capabilities, a coincidence between a 957.6(5)-keV 𝛾 ray and a 1.876(24)-MeV proton line was observed, which identifies the quasibound proton 𝜋⁢𝑔 9/2 single-particle state in 61 Ga at 𝐸 𝑥 = 2150⁢(34) keV. This probes isospin symmetry at the limit of nuclear binding by providing a unique challenge for the shell-model interpretation of mirror nuclei beyond doubly magic 56 Ni .

Hrabar, Yuliia [Lund Univ. (Sweden)] (ORCID:000000↗
DOE OSTI2020

Novel observation of isospin structure of short-range correlations in calcium isotopes

Short Range Correlations (SRCs) have been identiffed as being responsible for the high momentum tail of the nucleon momentum distribution, n(k). Hard, short-range interactions of nucleon pairs generate the high momentum tail and imprint a universal character on n(k) for all nuclei at large momentum. Triple coincidence experiments have shown a strong dominance of np pairs, but these measurements involve large final state interactions. This paper presents the results from Jefferson Lab experiment E08014 which measured inclusive electron scattering cross-section from Ca isotopes. Here, by comparing the inclusive cross section from 48 Ca to 40 Ca in a kinematic region dominated by SRCs we provide a new way to study the isospin structure of SRCs.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Testing isospin symmetry breaking in ab initio nuclear theory

In this work we present the first steps towards benchmarking isospin symmetry breaking in ab initio nuclear theory for calculations of superallowed Fermi β decay. Using the valence-space in-medium similarity renormalization group, we calculate b and c coefficients of the isobaric multiplet mass equation, starting from two different Hamiltonians constructed from chiral effective field theory. We compare results to experimental measurements for all T = 1 isobaric analog triplets of relevance to superallowed β decay for masses A = 10 to A = 74 and find an overall agreement within approximately 250 keV of experimental data for both b and c coefficients. A greater level of accuracy, however, is obtained by a phenomenological Skyrme interaction or a classical charged-sphere estimate. Lastly, we show that evolution of the valence-space operator does not meaningfully improve the quality of the coefficients with respect to experimental data, which indicates that higher-order many-body effects are likely not responsible for the observed discrepancies.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Mass measurement of 27 P to constrain type-I x-ray burst models and validate the isobaric multiplet mass equation for the $A = 27, T = \frac{3}{2}$ isospin quartet

Background: Light curves are the primary observable of type-I x-ray bursts. Computational x-ray burst models must match simulations to observed light curves. Most of the error in simulated curves comes from uncertainties in rp process reaction rates, which can be reduced via precision mass measurements of neutron-deficient isotopes in the rp process path. Purpose: Perform a precise atomic mass measurement of 27 P. Use this new measurement to calculate rp process reaction rates and input these rates into an x-ray burst model to reduce simulated light curve uncertainty. Use the mass measurement of 27 P to validate the isobaric multiplet mass equation (IMME) for the A = 27 T = 3/2 isospin quartet which 27 P belongs to. Method: High-precision Penning trap mass spectrometry utilizing the time-of-flight ion cyclotron resonance technique was used to determine the atomic mass of 27 P. The MESA code (Modules for Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics) was then used to simulate x-ray bursts using a one-dimensional multizone model to produce updated light curves. Results: The mass excess of 27 P was measured to be –670.7(6) keV, a 14-fold precision increase over the mass reported in the 2020 Atomic Mass Evaluation (AME2020). The 26 Si(p, $γ$) 27 P– 27 P($γ$, p) 26 Si rate equilibrium has been determined to a higher precision based on the precision mass measurement of 27 P. x-ray burst light curves were produced with the MESA code using the new reaction rates. Changes in the mass of 27 P seem to have minimal effect on light curves, even in burster systems tailored to maximize impact. Conclusion: The mass of 27 P does not play a significant role in x-ray burst light curves. It is important to understand that more advanced models do not just provide more precise results, but often qualitatively different ones. This result brings us a step closer to being able to extract stellar parameters from individual x-ray burst observations. In addition, the IMME has been validated for the A = 27, T = 3/2 quartet. The normal quadratic form of the IMME using the latest data yields a reduced $χ$ 2 of 2.9. Finally, the cubic term required to generate an exact fit to the latest data matches theoretical attempts to predict this term.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Disoriented isospin condensates may be the source of anomalous kaon correlations measured in Pb-Pb collisions at s N N = 2.76 TeV

The magnitude of fluctuations between charged and neutral kaons measured by the ALICE Collaboration in heavy-ion collisions at the LHC exceeds conventional explanation. Here it is shown that if the scalar condensate, which is typically associated with chiral symmetry, is accompanied by an isospin = 1 field, then the combination can produce large fluctuations where 〈 u ¯ u 〉 ≠ 〈 d ¯ d 〉 . Hadronizing strange and antistrange quarks might then strongly fluctuate between charged ( u s ¯ or s u ¯ ) and neutral ( d s ¯ or s d ¯ ) kaons. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Physics↗
DOE OSTI2024

Isospin composition of fission barriers

We employ a microscopic method to study how isospin affects the fission potential of 240 Pu. Our approach uses constrained Hartree-Fock theory (CHF) which allows us to separately investigate the isoscalar and isovector properties of the nuclear energy density functional (EDF). By analyzing the isoscalar and isovector components of the EDF along the fission path we can assess the isovector contribution to fission barriers. Here, we study this effect for the fully adiabatic path to scission. The isovector component of the fission potential is found to increase in magnitude as the nucleus evolves towards scission, exemplifying the importance of stringent constraints on the isovector sector of the nuclear EDF for reliable predictions of fission properties.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Dependence of fusion on isospin dynamics

Here we introduce a new microscopic approach to calculate the dependence of fusion barriers and cross sections on isospin dynamics. The method is based on the time-dependent Hartree–Fock theory and the isoscalar and isovector properties of the energy density functional (EDF). The contribution to the fusion barriers originating from the isoscalar and isovector parts of the EDF is calculated. It is shown that, for nonsymmetric systems, the isovector dynamics influence the subbarrier fusion cross sections. For most systems this results in an enhancement of the subbarrier cross sections, while for others we observe differing degrees of hindrance. We use this approach to provide an explanation of recently measured fusion cross sections which show a enhancement at low E c.m. energies for the system 40 Ca+ 132 Sn as compared with the more neutron-rich system 48 Ca+ 132 Sn and discuss the dependence of subbarrier fusion cross sections on transfer.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Bulk and isospin instabilities in hot nuclear matter

We report the instability of hot asymmetric nuclear matter with respect to bulk density distortions is considered. The equation of state of extended Thomas-Fermi approximation (ETFA) is used. The origin of the anomalous dispersion and the influence of the Fermi-surface distortion effects on the bulk and isospin instabilities in homogenous nuclear matter are investigated. It is shown that the development of both instabilities is significantly reduced due to the Fermi surface distortion effects. The dependence of the bulk instability on the temperature and on the multipolarity of the particle density distortions are shown for the 208 Pb nucleus. The dependence of the formation of the decay modes (fission or multifragmentation) of nuclei on the temperature and the Fermi-surface distortion effects are demonstrated. It is shown that in the case of low temperatures the preferable mode for the bulk instability is binary fission. For higher temperature, the preferred modes are the multifragmentations to small clusters. The number of clusters increases with increasing temperature.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2019

Isospin symmetry in B ( E 2 ) values: Coulomb excitation study of Mg 21

The T z = -$\frac{3}{2}$ nucleus 21 Mg has been studied by Coulomb excitation on 196 Pt and 110 + ground state to the first excited $\frac{1}{2}$ + state in 21 Mg was observed for the first time. Coulomb excitation cross-section measurements with both targets and a measurement of the half-life of the $\frac{1}{2}$ + state yield an adopted value of B (E2; $\frac{5}{2}$ + → $\frac{1}{2}$ + ) = 13.3 (4) W.u. A new excited state at 1672(1) keV with tentative $\frac{9}{2}$ + assignment was also identified in 21 Mg . This work demonstrates a large difference in the B (E2; $\frac{5}{2}$ + → $\frac{1}{2}$ + ) value between T = $\frac{3}{2}$, A = 21 mirror nuclei. Lastly, the difference is investigated in the shell-model framework employing both isospin conserving and breaking USD interactions and using modern ab initio nuclear structure calculations, which have recently become applicable in the s d shell.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Isospin 0 and 2 two-pion scattering at physical pion mass using all-to-all propagators with periodic boundary conditions in lattice QCD

A study of two-pion scattering for the isospin channels, 𝐼 = 0 and 𝐼 = 2, using lattice QCD is presented. Möbius domain-wall fermions, on top of the Iwasaki-DSDR gauge action for gluons with periodic boundary conditions, are used for the lattice computations, which are carried out on two ensembles of gauge field configurations generated by the RBC and UKQCD Collaborations with physical masses, inverse lattice spacings of 1.023 and 1.378 GeV, and spatial extents of 𝐿 = 4.63 and 4.58 fm, respectively. The all-to-all propagator method is employed to compute a matrix of correlation functions of two-pion operators. The generalized eigenvalue problem (GEVP) is solved for a matrix of correlation functions to extract phase shifts with multiple states—two pions with a nonzero relative momentum, as well as two pions at rest. Our results for phase shifts for both the 𝐼 = 0 and 𝐼 = 2 channels are consistent with the Roy equation and chiral perturbation theory, though at this preliminary stage our errors for 𝐼 = 0 are large. An important outcome of this work is that we are successful in extracting two-pion excited states, which are useful for studying 𝐾 → 𝜋⁢𝜋 decay, on physical-mass ensembles using the GEVP.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Measurement of branching fractions, C P asymmetry, and isospin asymmetry for B → ρ γ decays using Belle and Belle II data

We present measurements of B + → ρ + γ and B 0 → ρ 0 γ decays using a combined data sample of 772 × 10 6 B B ¯ pairs collected by the Belle experiment and 387 × 10 6 B B ¯ pairs collected by the Belle II experiment in e + e − collisions at the ϒ ( 4 S ) resonance. After an optimized selection, a simultaneous fit to the Belle and Belle II datasets yields 114 ± 12 B + → ρ + γ and 99 ± 12 B 0 → ρ 0 γ decays. The measured branching fractions are ( 13.1 − 1.9 − 1.2 + 2.0 + 1.3 ) × 10 − 7 and ( 7.6 ± 1.3 − 0.8 + 1.0 ) × 10 − 7 for B + → ρ + γ and B 0 → ρ 0 γ decays, respectively, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second is systematic. We also measure the isospin asymmetry A I ( B → ρ γ ) = ( 10.9 − 11.7 − 7.3 + 11.2 + 7.8 ) % and the direct C P asymmetry A C P ( B + → ρ + γ ) = ( − 8.2 ± 15.2 − 1.3 + 2.0 ) % . Published by the American Physical Society 2025

Adachi, I. (ORCID:0000000322870173)↗