Early onset of deformation in the neutron-deficient polonium isotopes

Abstract

In-source laser spectroscopy has been performed at CERN-ISOLDE with the RILIS laser ion source on 191-204,206,208-211,216,218Po. New information on the β decay of 199Po were extracted in the process, challenging previous results. Large-scale atomic calculations were performed to extract the changes in the mean-square charge radius δr 2 from the isotope shifts. The δ«r»2 for the even-A isotopes reveal a large deviation from the spherical droplet model for N < 116. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd.