https://doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/201613105003
Mass measurements and ion-manipulation techniques applied to the heaviest elements
1 GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung, 64291 Darmstadt, Germany
2 Helmholtz Institute Mainz, 55099 Mainz, Germany
3 Johannes Gutenberg-Universität, 55099 Mainz, Germany
a e-mail: m.block@gsi.de
Published online: 1 December 2016
High-precision mass measurements of radionuclides with state-of-the-art mass spectrometry allows us to obtain accurate binding energies. These reflect changes in the nuclear structure. Two-nucleon separation energies, for example, are sensitive indicators of shell closures and the onset of deformation. In addition, masses provide a benchmark for theoretical nuclear models and support their improvement with respect to a better predictive power. In the region of the heaviest elements this enables mapping the strength of shell effects and their extension as recently demonstrated for N = 152. Accurate masses can furthermore provide anchor points to fix decay chains in the mass surface. Moreover, advanced ion-manipulation techniques developed in the context of mass spectrometry pave the way for novel types of experiments such as trap-assisted decay spectroscopy of nuclear state-selected samples. This opens new perspectives for a mass number assignment of decay chains originating from yet unknown superheavy nuclides.
© The Authors, published by EDP Sciences 2016
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
