High-precision Penning-trap mass measurements of heavy xenon isotopes for nuclear structure studies

Abstract

With the double Penning-trap mass spectrometer ISOLTRAP at ISOLDE/CERN the masses of the neutron-rich isotopes $^{136\ensuremath{-}146}\mathrm{Xe}$ were measured with a relative uncertainty of the order of ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}8}$ to ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}7}$. In particular, the masses of $^{144\ensuremath{-}146}\mathrm{Xe}$ were measured for the first time. These new mass values allow one to extend calculations of the mass surface in this region. Proton-Neutron interaction strength, obtained from double differences of binding energies, relate to subtle structural effects, such as the onset of octupole correlations, the growth of collectivity, and its relation to the underlying shell model levels. In addition, they provide a test of density functional calculations.