Abstract
THE successful manner in which the single-particle model of the atomic nucleus has accounted for many nuclear properties is well known to those who follow developments in nuclear physics. This model, which pictures nuclei as constituted of shells of protons and neutrons, predicts that closed shells should be exceptionally stable configurations. Both experiment and theory (in that order) have indicated that such closed shells occur1 with 2, 8, 20, (28), 50, 82 or 126 protons or neutrons. In addition to these primary ‘magic numbers’, there are predicted a number of secondary ones, marking the closure of sub-shells ; but the location of most of these is debatable. It is to be expected that certain mass effects are associated with the closing of these nuclear shells, and it is with this subject that the present communication is concerned.
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DUCKWORTH, H. Evidence for Nuclear Shells from Atomic Mass Measurements. Nature 170, 158–159 (1952). https://doi.org/10.1038/170158b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/170158b0
