Recent results with the discovery of new isotopes at FRIB and exploring the limits of nuclear stability

The challenges in expanding the nuclear landscape are significant, yet necessary to overcome, since information on new isotopes guides our understanding of the nuclear astrophysical process that have created Nature’s elements and leads us to an answer to the question of the limits of nuclear existence. Major progress awaits new rare-isotope accelerator facilities such as the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB).

A first experiment in the quest to expand our knowledge around N=126 at FRIB was conducted by the fragmentation of a 198 Pt beam with a carbon target at an energy of 186 MeV/u. This experiment, conducted using the Advanced Rare Isotope Separator (ARIS), led to the discovery of five new isotopes: 182,183 Tm, 186,187 Yb, and 190 Lu. These findings suggest the possibility of further studies on nuclides. The ARIS separator features a two-stage design, and particle identification was achieved through methods such as energy loss, time of flight, magnetic rigidity, and total kinetic energy. The results from these new experiments will provide crucial insights into nuclear stability under extremely neutron-rich conditions. Furthermore, experimental studies aimed at expanding the chart of nuclides and exploring the limits of nuclear stability will be introduced in the next generation of rare-isotope facilities.