Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Nuclear Stability03:18

Nuclear Stability

19.0K
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...
19.0K
Nuclear Transmutation03:20

Nuclear Transmutation

17.6K
Nuclear transmutation is the conversion of one nuclide into another. It can occur by the radioactive decay of a nucleus, or the reaction of a nucleus with another particle. The first manmade nucleus was produced in Ernest Rutherford’s laboratory in 1919 by a transmutation reaction, the bombardment of one type of nuclei with other nuclei or with neutrons. Rutherford bombarded nitrogen-14 atoms with high-speed α particles from a natural radioactive isotope of radium and observed...
17.6K
Types of Radioactivity03:23

Types of Radioactivity

16.9K
The most common types of radioactivity are α decay, β decay, γ decay, neutron emission, and electron capture.
Alpha (α) decay is the emission of an α particle from the nucleus. For example, polonium-210 undergoes α decay:
16.9K
Radioactivity and Nuclear Equations03:18

Radioactivity and Nuclear Equations

21.2K
Nuclear chemistry is the study of reactions that involve changes in nuclear structure. The nucleus of an atom is composed of protons and, except for hydrogen, neutrons. The number of protons in the nucleus is called the atomic number (Z) of the element, and the sum of the number of protons and the number of neutrons is the mass number (A). Atoms with the same atomic number but different mass numbers are isotopes of the same element.
A nuclide of an element has a specific number of protons and...
21.2K
Isotopes and Radioisotopes01:28

Isotopes and Radioisotopes

8.6K
In the early 1900s, English chemist Frederick Soddy realized that an element could have atoms with different masses that were chemically indistinguishable. These different types are called isotopes — atoms of the same element that differ in mass. Isotopes differ in mass because they have different numbers of neutrons but are chemically identical because they have the same number of protons. Soddy was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1921 for this discovery.
An isotope containing...
8.6K
Other Nuclides: 31P, 19F, 15N NMR01:16

Other Nuclides: 31P, 19F, 15N NMR

413
Many organic, inorganic, and biological molecules contain spin-half nuclei such as nitrogen-15, fluorine-19, and phosphorus-31. As a result, NMR studies of these nuclei have found extensive applications in chemical and biological research.
While fluorine-19 and phosphorous-31 have high natural abundances (100%) and positive gyromagnetic ratios, nitrogen-15 has a low natural abundance and a negative gyromagnetic ratio. However, nitrogen-15 is still preferred over nitrogen-14 (which has a...
413

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Beta-Delayed Neutron Emission of N=84 ^{132}Cd.

Physical review letters·2026
Same author

N=8 Shell Breaking in ^{12}Be from a Single-Particle Perspective.

Physical review letters·2026
Same author

Measurement of the Ground State Spin and Parity of ^{22}Al Disfavors Halo Formation.

Physical review letters·2026
Same author

Direct observation of the superallowed α-decay of <sup>104</sup>Te.

Nature·2026
Same author

Erratum: Discovery of New Isotope ^{241}U and Systematic High-Precision Atomic Mass Measurements of Neutron-Rich Pa-Pu Nuclei Produced via Multinucleon Transfer Reactions [Phys. Rev. Lett. 130, 132502 (2023)].

Physical review letters·2026
Same author

Beta-Decay Half-Lives beyond ^{54}Ca: A Systematic Survey of Decay Properties Approaching the Neutron Dripline.

Physical review letters·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 21, 2025

Preparing an Isotopically Pure 229Th Ion Beam for Studies of 229mTh
10:42

Preparing an Isotopically Pure 229Th Ion Beam for Studies of 229mTh

Published on: May 3, 2019

6.8K

^{133}In: A Rosetta Stone for Decays of r-Process Nuclei.

Z Y Xu1, M Madurga1, R Grzywacz1,2

  • 1Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, USA.

Physical Review Letters
|July 28, 2023
PubMed
Summary

We measured beta decays from indium-133 (¹³³In) ground states and isomers, revealing key transitions. This provides crucial data for understanding neutron-rich nuclei and the rapid-neutron capture process.

More Related Videos

Methods of Ex Situ and In Situ Investigations of Structural Transformations: The Case of Crystallization of Metallic Glasses
08:55

Methods of Ex Situ and In Situ Investigations of Structural Transformations: The Case of Crystallization of Metallic Glasses

Published on: June 7, 2018

8.6K
Synthesis of In37P20O2CR51 Clusters and Their Conversion to InP Quantum Dots
08:21

Synthesis of In37P20O2CR51 Clusters and Their Conversion to InP Quantum Dots

Published on: May 7, 2019

9.9K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 21, 2025

Preparing an Isotopically Pure 229Th Ion Beam for Studies of 229mTh
10:42

Preparing an Isotopically Pure 229Th Ion Beam for Studies of 229mTh

Published on: May 3, 2019

6.8K
Methods of Ex Situ and In Situ Investigations of Structural Transformations: The Case of Crystallization of Metallic Glasses
08:55

Methods of Ex Situ and In Situ Investigations of Structural Transformations: The Case of Crystallization of Metallic Glasses

Published on: June 7, 2018

8.6K
Synthesis of In37P20O2CR51 Clusters and Their Conversion to InP Quantum Dots
08:21

Synthesis of In37P20O2CR51 Clusters and Their Conversion to InP Quantum Dots

Published on: May 7, 2019

9.9K

Area of Science:

  • Nuclear Physics
  • Atomic and Molecular Physics
  • Astrophysics

Background:

  • Neutron-rich nuclei are crucial for understanding nucleosynthesis, particularly the rapid-neutron capture (r-) process.
  • Accurate theoretical models require precise experimental data on beta decays, especially for nuclei far from stability.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To experimentally characterize the beta decays of the ground state and a long-lived isomer of indium-133 (¹³³In).
  • To provide the first comprehensive measurement of partial half-lives (logft) for dominant beta-decay channels, including Gamow-Teller and first-forbidden transitions.
  • To benchmark nuclear structure and decay theories in the neutron-rich region southeast of the doubly magic tin-132 (¹³²Sn).

Main Methods:

  • Utilized the ISOLDE Decay Station (IDS) with a hybrid detection system for simultaneous beta, gamma, and neutron spectroscopy.
  • Measured energies and branching ratios of populated states in tin-133 (¹³³Sn).
  • Compared experimental results with large-scale shell model (LSSM) calculations.

Main Results:

  • Successfully measured comparative partial half-lives (logft) for dominant beta-decay channels of ¹³³In.
  • Observed selective population of a few isolated neutron-unbound states in ¹³³Sn, unique for such a heavy neutron-rich nucleus.
  • Demonstrated good agreement between experimental data and newly developed LSSM calculations.

Conclusions:

  • Established the beta decay of ¹³³In as an archetype for neutron-rich nuclei in this region.
  • The findings provide critical benchmarks for refining theoretical models of beta decay.
  • This work will guide future theoretical developments for accurately describing r-process nucleosynthesis.