Researchers explore magic numbers of protons and neutrons in atomic nuclei 75 years after key discovery

In the early 1930s, scientists discovered that certain atomic nuclei, known as "magic numbers," are more stable due to specific counts of protons and neutrons. This led to the development of the shell model of the nucleus by Maria Goeppert Mayer and J. Hans D. Jensen in 1949. Magic numbers, such as 2, 8, 20, 28, 50, 82, and 126, indicate filled orbits of protons and neutrons, making nuclei less reactive. For example, oxygen-16, with eight protons and eight neutrons, is a stable isotope crucial for life on Earth. Today, researchers at facilities like the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams study exotic nuclei to understand how magic numbers may change. This ongoing research builds on the foundational work of Mayer and Jensen, continuing to explore the properties of atomic nuclei.