Quantum Phase Transition in the Shape of Zr isotopes

Author(s): Tomoaki Togashi, Yusuke Tsunoda, Takaharu Otsuka, and Noritaka Shimizu

High-resolution inelastic electron scattering on ${}^{96}$Zr establishes shape coexistence—where two nearby states possess distinct shapes—for this nucleus. Monte Carlo shell-model calculations indicate that the shape change in Zr isotopes is a quantum phase transition.

[Phys. Rev. Lett. 117, 172502] Published Mon Oct 17, 2016