Researchers at CERN have made a great step forward in revealing how atomic nuclei behave after they mapped the edge of a mysterious ‘island of inversion’ where the standard rules of nuclear physics do not apply.

The ISOLDE team at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) used high-precision measurements to pinpoint the western border of an exotic region known as the 40-neutron island of inversion.

 The 40-neutron island of inversion is reportedly a region of the nuclear chart where protons and neutrons no longer obey the usual shell structure seen in stable elements.

Led by Louis Lalanne, a researcher at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), the team focused on a little-studied isotope called chromium-61, which contains 24 protons and 37 neutrons.

“The ultimate goal is to understand how nuclear structure emerges and evolves across the nuclear landscape,” Lalanne revealed.

To read more, click here.