article · Nature
Atomic nuclei are complex quantum systems bound by strong nuclear forces, displaying a variety of shapes that have historically been difficult to observe directly due to long-timescale quantum fluctuations at low energies. A new imaging technique, termed collective-flow-assisted nuclear shape imaging, overcomes this limitation by colliding nuclei at ultrarelativistic speeds and analysing the collective behaviour of the resulting debris. Through hydrodynamic expansion, the spatial matter distribution of the colliding nuclei imprints distinct patterns onto the momentum distribution of outgoing particles. When tested on uranium-238 nuclei, the approach revealed a large deformation alongside a slight deviation from axial symmetry in the ground state, largely matching results from prior low-energy experiments. This imaging approach provides detailed insight into initial conditions during high-energy collisions and clarifies how nuclear structures evolve across different energy regimes.
Direct observation of atomic nuclear geometry has long been hindered by quantum fluctuations at low energy levels. By using ultrarelativistic collisions to capture instantaneous snapshots of nuclear structure, this technique provides a reliable way to map spatial matter distributions. It bridges high-energy collision physics with fundamental nuclear structure research, clarifying how subatomic matter behaves across varying energy scales.
The abstract does not indicate an application pathway or potential commercial use for this fundamental physics research.
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Atomic nuclei are self-organized, many-body quantum systems bound by strong nuclear forces within femtometre-scale space. These complex systems manifest a variety of shapes<sup>1-3</sup>, traditionally explored using non-invasive spectroscopic techniques at low energies<sup>4,5</sup>. However, at these energies, their instantaneous shapes are obscured by long-timescale quantum fluctuations, making direct observation challenging. Here we introduce the collective-flow-assisted nuclear shape-imaging method, which images the nuclear global shape by colliding them at ultrarelativistic speeds and analysing the collective response of outgoing debris. This technique captures a collision-specific snapshot of the spatial matter distribution within the nuclei, which, through the hydrodynamic expansion, imprints patterns on the particle momentum distribution observed in detectors<sup>6,7</sup>. We benchmark this method in collisions of ground-state uranium-238 nuclei, known for their elongated, axial-symmetric shape. Our findings show a large deformation with a slight deviation from axial symmetry in the nuclear ground state, aligning broadly with previous low-energy experiments. This approach offers a new method for imaging nuclear shapes, enhances our understanding of the initial conditions in high-energy collisions and addresses the important issue of nuclear structure evolution across energy scales.
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-08097-2
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