Nuclear shape coexistence in Po isotopes: An interacting boson model study

TL;DR

This study uses the interacting boson model with configuration mixing to analyze shape coexistence in Po isotopes, revealing hidden coexistence phenomena consistent with experimental data across multiple observables.

Contribution

It demonstrates the importance of configuration mixing in understanding shape coexistence in Po isotopes using the IBM-CM model, with comprehensive calculations and data fitting.

Findings

Good agreement with experimental energies and B(E2) rates

Evidence of hidden shape coexistence in Po isotopes

Consistent results across various nuclear observables

Abstract

Background: The lead region, Po, Pb, Hg, and Pt, shows up the presence of coexisting structures having different deformation and corresponding to different particle-hole configurations in the Shell Model language. Purpose: We intend to study the importance of configuration mixing in the understanding of the nuclear structure of even-even Po isotopes, where the shape coexistence phenomena are not clear enough. Method: We study in detail a long chain of polonium isotopes, 190-208Po, using the interacting boson model with configuration mixing (IBM-CM). We fix the parameters of the Hamiltonians through a least-squares fit to the known energies and absolute B(E2) transition rates of states up to 3 MeV. Results: We obtained the IBM-CM Hamiltonians and we calculate excitation energies, B(E2)'s, electric quadrupole moments, nuclear radii and isotopic shifts, quadrupole shape invariants, wave functions, and deformations. Conclusions: We obtain a good agreement with the experimental data for all the studied observables and we conclude that shape coexistence phenomenon is hidden in Po isotopes, very much as in the case of the Pt isotopes.