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Physics

Heavy calcium nuclei weigh in

Nature volume 498, pages 307–308 (2013)Cite this article

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The configurations of calcium nuclei make them good test cases for studies of nuclear properties. The measurement of the masses of two heavy calcium nuclei provides benchmarks for models of atomic nuclei. See Letter p.346

Perhaps the most fundamental observable property in nuclear physics is the mass of an atomic nucleus, which is related to how strongly the protons and neutrons within are bound. On page 346 of this issue, Wienholtz and collaborators1 report precise measurements of the masses of two short-lived, neutron-rich calcium nuclei, calcium-53 and calcium-54, which until now researchers have been unable to weigh. By comparing the measured masses with state-of-the-art model calculations aimed at describing the properties of atomic nuclei at a microscopic level, the authors have confirmed the unique role of calcium nuclei in deciphering the ingredients of the nuclear force that binds protons and neutrons together.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Alexandra Gade is at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory and the Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA.,

    Alexandra Gade

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  1. Alexandra Gade
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Correspondence to Alexandra Gade.

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Gade, A. Heavy calcium nuclei weigh in. Nature 498, 307–308 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/498307a

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