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Updated: May 19, 2026

Measurement of Total Calcium in Neurons by Electron Probe X-ray Microanalysis
Published on: November 20, 2013
New precision mass measurements of neutron-rich calcium and potassium isotopes and three-nucleon forces
A T Gallant1, J C Bale, T Brunner
1TRIUMF, University of British Columbia, 4004 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 2A3, Canada. agallant@triumf.ca
Abstract:
We present precision Penning trap mass measurements of neutron-rich calcium and potassium isotopes in the vicinity of neutron number N=32. Using the TITAN system, the mass of 51K was measured for the first time, and the precision of the (51,52)Ca mass values were improved significantly. The new mass values show a dramatic increase of the binding energy compared to those reported in the atomic mass evaluation. In particular, 52Ca is more bound by 1.74 MeV, and the behavior with neutron number deviates substantially from the tabulated values. An increased binding was predicted recently based on calculations that include three-nucleon (3N) forces. We present a comparison to improved calculations, which agree remarkably with the evolution of masses with neutron number, making neutron-rich calcium isotopes an exciting region to probe 3N forces.
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