A team of international researchers, led by the University of Surrey’s Nuclear Physics Group, has overturned a long-held belief about lead-208 (208Pb). Scientists previously thought this atomic nucleus was perfectly spherical, but new findings show it is slightly elongated. This discovery challenges fundamental ideas about nuclear structure and could reshape our understanding of how the heaviest elements form in the universe.
Lead-208 is known for its exceptional stability as a “doubly magic” nucleus – the heaviest one identified so far. However, a study published in Physical Review Letters used high-precision experimental techniques to analyze its shape. Instead of being a perfect sphere, researchers found that lead-208’s nucleus is subtly stretched into a rugby ball-like shape (prolate spheroid).
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