Signatures of the Z = 82 shell closure in α-decay process.

In recent experiments at the velocity filter Separator for Heavy Ion reaction Products (SHIP) (GSI, Darmstadt), an extended and improved set of α-decay data for more than 20 of the most neutron-deficient isotopes in the region from lead to thorium was obtained. The combined analysis of this newly available α-decay data, of which the (186)Po decay is reported here, allowed us for the first time to clearly show that crossing the Z = 82 shell to higher proton numbers strongly accelerates the α decay. From the experimental data, the α-particle formation probabilities are deduced following the Universal Decay Law approach. The formation probabilities are discussed in the framework of the pairing force acting among the protons and the neutrons forming the α particle. A striking resemblance between the phenomenological pairing gap deduced from experimental binding energies and the formation probabilities is noted. These findings support the conjecture that both the N = 126 and Z = 82 shell closures strongly influence the α-formation probability.

A triplet of differently shaped spin-zero states in the atomic nucleus 186Pb

Understanding the fundamental excitations of many-fermion systems is of significant current interest. In atomic nuclei with even numbers of neutrons and protons, the low-lying excitation spectrum is generally formed by nucleon pair breaking and nuclear vibrations or rotations. However, for certain numbers of protons and neutrons, a subtle rearrangement of only a few nucleons among the orbitals at the Fermi surface can result in a different elementary mode: a macroscopic shape change. The first experimental evidence for this phenomenon came from the observation of shape coexistence in 16O (ref. 4). Other unexpected examples came with the discovery of fission isomers and super-deformed nuclei. Here we find experimentally that the lowest three states in the energy spectrum of the neutron deficient nucleus 186Pb are spherical, oblate and prolate. The states are populated by the alpha-decay of a parent nucleus; to identify them, we combine knowledge of the particular features of this decay with sensitive measurement techniques (a highly efficient velocity filters with strong background reduction, and an extremely selective recoil-alpha-electron coincidence tagging methods). The existence of this apparently unique shape triplet is permitted only by the specific conditions that are met around this particular nucleus.

Association between mandibular third molar formation and retromolar space.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the association between formation stages of the mandibular third molars and the space distal to the permanent molars (retromolar space). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The material included pretreatment lateral cephalographs of 96 orthodontic patients (49 males, 47 females; 8-18 years old). The molar formation stage was assessed through the method of Nolla, which rates the degree of calcification on a scale of 10 stages. The retromolar space was measured from the most concave point of the anterior border of the ramus to the distal surface of the first molar (used because the second molars had not yet erupted in the younger patients). Statistical analyses included t-tests and analyses of variance for group differences and the Pearson product moment to gauge associations among variables. RESULTS: The formation stage advanced with age, but wide standard deviations were noted. Similarly, the retromolar distance increased with age and was greatest between 10 and 12 years. The correlation between retromolar space and developmental stage was high (r  =  0.85). On average, an increase of 5 mm of retromolar space corresponds to a 1.8 stage in tooth maturation. CONCLUSIONS: The correlation between third molar mineralization and available retromolar space essentially represents the association between one biologic age (dental formation) and another growth-related event (mandibular skeletal growth). The findings do not necessarily reflect successful emergence or nonimpaction of the molars. Longitudinal data are needed to determine such outcomes.