High-Resolution Laser Spectroscopy on the Hyperfine Structure of $^{255}$Fm (Z=100)

TL;DR

This study uses high-resolution laser spectroscopy to measure the hyperfine structure of $^{255}$Fm, deriving nuclear moments and confirming its prolate deformation, thus providing a benchmark for nuclear models and revising previous data.

Contribution

First high-resolution laser spectroscopy measurement of $^{255}$Fm's hyperfine structure, deriving nuclear moments and confirming deformation, establishing it as a reference isotope.

Findings

Nuclear magnetic dipole moment $ extstyle -0.75(5)~ extstyle oldsymbol{ extmu}_ extrm{N}$

Electric quadrupole moment $Q_ extrm{S} = +5.84(13)$ eb

Confirmation of strong prolate deformation

Abstract

We report on high-resolution laser spectroscopy of $^{255}$Fm ($T_{1/2} = 20$h), one of the heaviest nuclides available from reactor breeding. The hyperfine structures in two different atomic ground-state transitions at 398.4~nm and 398.2~nm were probed by in-source laser spectroscopy at the RISIKO mass separator in Mainz, using the PI-LIST high-resolution ion source. Experimental results were combined with hyperfine fields from various atomic ab-initio calculations, in particular using MultiConfigurational Dirac-Hartree-Fock theory, as implemented in GRASP18. In this manner, the nuclear magnetic dipole and electric quadrupole moments were derived to be $\mu = -0.75(5)~ \mu_\textrm{N}$ and $Q_\textrm{S} = +5.84(13)$~eb, respectively. The magnetic moment indicates occupation of the $\nu$~7/2[613] Nilsson orbital, while the large quadrupole moment confirms strong, stable prolate deformation consistent with systematics in the heavy actinides. Comparisons with available expectation values from nuclear theory show good agreement, providing a stringent benchmark for the used theoretical models. These results revise earlier data and establish $^{255}$Fm as a reference isotope for future high-resolution studies.