Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Nuclear Stability

Nuclear Stability

Protons and neutrons, collectively called nucleons, are packed together tightly in a nucleus. With a radius of about 10−15 meters, a nucleus is quite small compared to the radius of the entire atom, which is about 10−10 meters. Nuclei are extremely dense compared to bulk matter, averaging 1.8 × 1014 grams per cubic centimeter. If the earth’s density were equal to the average nuclear density, the earth’s radius would be only about 200 meters.
To hold positively charged protons together in the...

Nuclear Binding Energy

Nuclear Binding Energy

The difference between the calculated and experimentally measured masses is known as the mass defect of the atom. In the case of helium-4, the mass defect indicates a “loss” in mass of 4.0331 amu – 4.0026 amu = 0.0305 amu. The loss in mass accompanying the formation of an atom from protons, neutrons, and electrons is due to the conversion of that mass into energy that is evolved as the atom forms. The nuclear binding energy is the energy produced when the atoms’ nucleons are bound together;...

Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Spin

Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Spin

All atomic particles possess an intrinsic angular momentum, or 'spin'. Electrons, protons, and neutrons each have a spin value of ½, although protons and neutrons in nuclei may have higher half-integer spins owing to energetic factors.
Atomic nuclei have a net nuclear spin, , which can have an integer or half-integer value. In atomic nuclei, the spins of protons are paired against each other but not with neutrons, and vice versa. Consequently, an even number of protons does not contribute to...

Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Spin State Population Distribution

Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Spin State Population Distribution

Near absolute zero temperatures, in the presence of a magnetic field, the majority of nuclei prefer the lower energy spin-up state to the higher energy spin-down state. As temperatures increase, the energy from thermal collisions distributes the spins more equally between the two states. The Boltzmann distribution equation gives the ratio of the number of spins predicted in the spin −½ (N−) and spin +½ (N+) states.

Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Spin State Overview

Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Spin State Overview

NMR-active nuclei have energy levels called 'spin states' that are associated with the orientations of their nuclear magnetic moments. In the absence of a magnetic field, the nuclear magnetic moments are randomly oriented, and the spin states are degenerate. When an external magnetic field is applied, the spin states have only 2 + 1 orientations available to them. A proton with = ½ has two available orientations. Similarly, for a quadrupolar nucleus with a nuclear spin value of one, the...

Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Relaxation Processes

Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Relaxation Processes

In the absence of an external magnetic field, nuclear spin states are degenerate and randomly oriented. When a magnetic field is applied, the spins begin to precess and orient themselves along (lower energy) or against (higher energy) the direction of the field. At equilibrium, a slight excess population of spins exists in the lower energy state. Because the direction of the magnetic field is fixed as the z-axis, the precessing magnetic moments are randomly oriented around the z-axis. This...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Magnetic Dipole Transition in ^{48}Ca.

Physical review letters·2024

Same author

Publisher Correction: First observation of <sup>28</sup>O.

Nature·2023

Same author

First observation of <sup>28</sup>O.

Nature·2023

Same author

β^{+} Gamow-Teller Strengths from Unstable ^{14}O via the (d,^{2}He) Reaction in Inverse Kinematics.

Physical review letters·2023

Same author

Trends of Neutron Skins and Radii of Mirror Nuclei from First Principles.

Physical review letters·2023

Same author

Proton Distribution Radii of ^{16-24}O: Signatures of New Shell Closures and Neutron Skin.

Physical review letters·2022

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 29, 2026

Label-Free Immunoprecipitation Mass Spectrometry Workflow for Large-scale Nuclear Interactome Profiling

Label-Free Immunoprecipitation Mass Spectrometry Workflow for Large-scale Nuclear Interactome Profiling

Published on: November 17, 2019

Medium-mass nuclei from chiral nucleon-nucleon interactions.

G Hagen¹, T Papenbrock, D J Dean

¹Physics Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, USA.

Physical Review Letters

|October 15, 2008

Summary

Researchers computed nuclear properties using coupled-cluster theory and chiral nucleon-nucleon interactions. Medium-mass nuclei like calcium-40 and nickel-48 were found to be slightly underbound, validating theoretical models.

More Related Videos

Measuring Interactions of Globular and Filamentous Proteins by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (NMR) and Microscale Thermophoresis (MST)

Measuring Interactions of Globular and Filamentous Proteins by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (NMR) and Microscale Thermophoresis (MST)

Published on: November 2, 2018

Coulomb Explosion Imaging as a Tool to Distinguish Between Stereoisomers

Coulomb Explosion Imaging as a Tool to Distinguish Between Stereoisomers

Published on: August 18, 2017

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 29, 2026

Label-Free Immunoprecipitation Mass Spectrometry Workflow for Large-scale Nuclear Interactome Profiling

Label-Free Immunoprecipitation Mass Spectrometry Workflow for Large-scale Nuclear Interactome Profiling

Published on: November 17, 2019

Measuring Interactions of Globular and Filamentous Proteins by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (NMR) and Microscale Thermophoresis (MST)

Measuring Interactions of Globular and Filamentous Proteins by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (NMR) and Microscale Thermophoresis (MST)

Published on: November 2, 2018

Coulomb Explosion Imaging as a Tool to Distinguish Between Stereoisomers

Coulomb Explosion Imaging as a Tool to Distinguish Between Stereoisomers

Published on: August 18, 2017

Area of Science:

Nuclear Physics
Quantum Many-Body Theory

Background:

Nuclear structure calculations are essential for understanding atomic nuclei.
Coupled-cluster theory provides a robust framework for ab initio nuclear physics.
Chiral effective field theory offers a systematic approach to nucleon-nucleon interactions.

Purpose of the Study:

To compute binding energies, radii, and densities for medium-mass nuclei.
To investigate the accuracy of coupled-cluster theory with chiral nucleon-nucleon interactions.
To provide a microscopic foundation for the nuclear shell model.

Main Methods:

Coupled-cluster singles-doubles (CCSD) approximation.
Ab initio calculation using a bare chiral nucleon-nucleon interaction at N3LO.
Utilizing model spaces up to 15 oscillator shells.

Main Results:

Well-converged results obtained in the chosen model spaces.
Doubly magic nuclei (40Ca, 48Ca) and exotic 48Ni are underbound by ~1 MeV/nucleon in CCSD.
Binding-energy difference between 48Ca and 48Ni agrees with theoretical mass evaluations.

Conclusions:

The coupled-cluster approach with chiral interactions accurately describes medium-mass nuclei.
The calculations offer insights into the underbinding of certain nuclei.
One-body density matrices provide a step towards a microscopic shell model foundation.