Short-Lived α-Emitting Isotope ^{222}Np and the Stability of the N=126 Magic Shell

L Ma1, Z Y Zhang1,2, Z G Gan1,2

  • 1CAS Key Laboratory of High Precision Nuclear Spectroscopy, Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China.

Summary

Researchers discovered a new neutron-deficient isotope, Neptunium-222 (Np-222), using a fusion reaction. Its alpha decay properties were measured, confirming the N=126 shell effect in Neptunium isotopes.

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