Mass Measurements of Neutron-Deficient Yb Isotopes and Nuclear Structure at the Extreme Proton-Rich Side of the N=82 Shell.

High-accuracy mass measurements of neutron-deficient Yb isotopes have been performed at TRIUMF using TITAN's multiple-reflection time-of-flight mass spectrometer (MR-TOF-MS). For the first time, an MR-TOF-MS was used on line simultaneously as an isobar separator and as a mass spectrometer, extending the measurements to two isotopes further away from stability than otherwise possible. The ground state masses of ^{150,153}Yb and the excitation energy of ^{151}Yb^{m} were measured for the first time. As a result, the persistence of the N=82 shell with almost unmodified shell gap energies is established up to the proton drip line. Furthermore, the puzzling systematics of the h_{11/2}-excited isomeric states of the N=81 isotones are unraveled using state-of-the-art mean field calculations.

Theoretical Predictions for the Magnetic Dipole Moment of

A recent laser spectroscopy experiment [J. Thielking et al., Nature, (London) 556, 321 (2018)] has determined for the first time the magnetic dipole moment of the 7.8 eV isomeric state ^{229m}Th. The measured value differs by a factor of approximately 5 from previous nuclear theory predictions based on the Nilsson model, raising questions about our understanding of the underlying nuclear structure. Here, we present a new theoretical prediction based on a nuclear model with coupled collective quadrupole-octupole and single-particle motions. Our calculations yield an isomer magnetic dipole moment of µ_{IS}=-0.35µ_{N} in surprisingly good agreement with the experimentally determined value of -0.37(6)µ_{N}, while overestimating the ground state dipole moment by a factor 1.4. The model provides further information on the role and strength of the Coriolis mixing and the most probable value of the gyromagnetic ratio g_{R} and its consequences for the transition probability B(M1). The key role of the magnetic moment values as constraints in the determination of the isomer decay rates is discussed.

Reduced Transition Probabilities for the Gamma Decay of the 7.8 eV Isomer in

The reduced magnetic dipole and electric quadrupole transition probabilities for the radiative decay of the ^{229}Th 7.8 eV isomer to the ground state are predicted within a detailed nuclear-structure model approach. We show that the presence and decay of this isomer can only be accounted for by the Coriolis mixing emerging from a remarkably fine interplay between the coherent quadrupole-octupole motion of the nuclear core and the single-nucleon motion within a reflection-asymmetric deformed potential. We find that the magnetic dipole transition probability which determines the radiative lifetime of the isomer is considerably smaller than presently estimated. The so-far disregarded electric quadrupole component may have non-negligible contributions to the internal conversion channel. These findings support new directions in the experimental search of the ^{229}Th transition frequency for the development of a future nuclear frequency standard.