An international research collaboration led by the University of Surrey’s Nuclear Physics Group has overturned the long-standing belief that the atomic nucleus of lead-208 (²⁰⁸Pb) is perfectly spherical. The discovery challenges fundamental assumptions about nuclear structure and has far-reaching implications for our understanding of how the heaviest elements are formed in the universe. An international research collaboration led by the University of Surrey’s Nuclear Physics Group has overturned the long-standing belief that the atomic nucleus of lead-208 (²⁰⁸Pb) is perfectly spherical. The discovery challenges fundamental assumptions about nuclear structure and has far-reaching implications for our understanding of how the heaviest elements are formed in the universe. General Physics Phys.org – latest science and technology news stories
Unexpected shape of lead-208 nucleus prompts reevaluation of atomic nuclei models
