100 Years of Nuclear Isomers

Nuclei in the vicinity of doubly-magic ones often exhibit isomeric states arisen due to the low energies and/or high multipolarities of the gamma rays depopulating them. Around $^{208}$Pb these long-lived states often decay by electric octupole (E3) transitions. Their transition strength give information about their nature. In this region these can be collective, explained by the large number...

The coexistence of single-particle and collective degrees of freedom in atomic nuclei gives rise to various exotic phenomena. In nuclei with very asymmetric proton-to-neutron ratios, the strong nuclear interaction drives shell evolution which alters the orbital spacing, and in some cases even the ordering present in stable nuclei. Such changes in the structure can have profound consequences...

State-of-the-art optical clocks achieve precisions of 10−18 or better using ensembles of atoms in optical lattices or individual ions in radio-frequency traps. Promising candidates for use in atomic clocks are highly charged ions (HCIs) and nuclear transitions, which are largely insensitive to external perturbations and reach wavelengths beyond the optical range that are accessible to...