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Mercury serves up a nuclear surprise

Nature (2010)Cite this article

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The discovery of a new type of fission turns a tenet of nuclear theory on its head.

The observation of an unexpected nuclear reaction by an unstable isotope of the element mercury has thrown up a rare puzzle. The enigma is helping theorists to tackle one of the trickiest problems in physics: developing a more complete model of the atomic nucleus.

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References

  1. Möller, P., Madland, D. G., Sierk, A. J. & Iwamoto, A. Nature 409, 785-790 (2001).

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  1. Eugenie Samuel Reich
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Reich, E. Mercury serves up a nuclear surprise. Nature (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/news.2010.642

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/news.2010.642

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