16 FEB 2026 - 10:52 CET

In September, members of the Nuclear Physics Group participated in a Coulomb excitation experiment of neutron-rich tin isotopes with the MINIBALL array at CERN. This was the third and final experiment of this experimental campaign covering 130Sn and 134Sn, which surrounds the doubly-magic nucleus 132Sn. The tin isotopes of interest were produced using a uranium carbide (UCx) target irradiated with the proton beam from the Proton Synchrotron Booster. The experiment aimed to investigate the evolution of collectivity and nuclear structure around and the magic-shell closure at N = 82 for tin isotopes (Z = 50) via the determination of the reduced transition strength of the first 2+ excited state, and for the first time in this mass region, the reduced transition strength of the first 4+ excited state. These values in both isotopes will be crucial for understanding the nuclear structure of tin isotopes around the N = 82 shell closure and experimental verification of new predictions from theory.

Acknowledgements

This project has received funding from the European Union-Next-Generation funds under the grant agreement PR38/23-HISTARS (MRR).