First Penning-trap mass measurement of the exotic halo nucleus 11Li.
/ Authors
M. Smith, M. Smith, M. Brodeur, M. Brodeur, T. Brunner, T. Brunner, S. Ettenauer, S. Ettenauer, A. Lapierre, R. Ringle
and 10 more authors
V. Ryjkov, F. Ames, P. Bricault, G. W. F. Drake, P. Delheij, D. Lunney, D. Lunney, F. Sarazin, J. Dilling, J. Dilling
/ Abstract
In this Letter, we report a new mass for {sup 11}Li using the trapping experiment TITAN at TRIUMF's ISAC facility. This is by far the shortest-lived nuclide, t{sub 1/2}=8.8 ms, for which a mass measurement has ever been performed with a Penning trap. Combined with our mass measurements of {sup 8,9}Li we derive a new two-neutron separation energy of 369.15(65) keV: a factor of 7 more precise than the best previous value. This new value is a critical ingredient for the determination of the halo charge radius from isotope-shift measurements. We also report results from state-of-the-art atomic-physics calculations using the new mass and extract a new charge radius for {sup 11}Li. This result is a remarkable confluence of nuclear and atomic physics.
Journal: Physical Review Letters