In a groundbreaking discovery, an international team of scientists, led by the Institute of Corpuscular Physics (IFIC) in Spain, has challenged a fundamental principle of nuclear physics known as isospin symmetry. This principle suggests that neutrons and protons behave almost identically within the atomic nucleus. However, the recent research, conducted in Japan, has revealed that mirror nuclei, which have the same number of protons and neutrons but swapped, can exhibit different fundamental states.
The study focused on Krypton-71 (71Kr) and its mirror nucleus, Bromine-71 (71Br). Despite differing by only one nucleon, their fundamental states were found to be distinct. This is the first documented case of isospin symmetry breaking in such closely related mirror nuclei. The research team explained this phenomenon through theoretical calculations using the nuclear shell model, a key tool for understanding the behavior of protons and neutrons within the nucleus.
This discovery, made at the RIBF radioactive beam facility in RIKEN, Japan, opens new avenues for research. It could lead to more accurate models of atomic nuclei and potentially impact the development of nuclear physics and particle physics. The implications of this finding are significant, reinforcing the IFIC's role in international nuclear physics research and paving the way for future experiments.