Discovery of an <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mrow><msup><mrow><mi>I</mi></mrow><mrow><mi>π</mi></mrow></msup><mo>=</mo><mn>1</mn><msup><mrow><mn>0</mn></mrow><mrow><mo>+</mo></mrow></msup></mrow></math> Isomer in <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mrow><mmultiscripts><mrow><mi>Yb</mi></mrow><mprescripts></mprescripts><none></none><mrow><mn>150</mn></mrow></mmultiscripts></mrow></math>: Nature of the Longest <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mrow><msup><mrow><mn>10</mn></mrow><mrow><mo>+</mo></mrow></msup></mrow></math> Isomeric Chain

W. Q. Zhang; Z. Liu; A. N. Andreyev; Y. X. Yu; G. J. Fu; C. Qi; H. Huang; X. H. Yu; P. M. Walker; X. H. Zhou; P. T. Greenlees; R. D. Page; B. H. Sun; S. F. Ashley; I. G. Darby; S. Eeckhaudt; A. B. Garnsworthy; M. B. Gómez-Hornillos; T. Grahn; D. G. Jenkins; P. Jones; R. Julin; D. T. Joss; S. Ketelhut; J. G. Li; M. Leino; M. L. Liu; Z. H. Li; C. Ma; M. Niikura; M. Nyman; J. Pakarinen; S. Pietri; Zs. Podolyák; P. Rahkila; J. Sarén; N. J. Thompson; J. Uusitalo; T. Uesaka; S. Williams; Y. F. Wu; X. X. Xu; C. X. Yuan; Q. B. Zeng; F. S. Zhang; S. Y. Zhang

doi:10.1103/6cjc-bhfg

Discovery of an $I^{π} = 1 0^{+}$ Isomer in ${}^{150}{Yb}$ : Nature of the Longest $10^{+}$ Isomeric Chain

W. Q. Zhang ¹, Z. Liu ^1,2,*, A. N. Andreyev ^3,†, Y. X. Yu ⁴, G. J. Fu ^4,‡, C. Qi ⁵, H. Huang ¹, X. H. Yu ^1,2, P. M. Walker ^6,§ et al.

X. H. Zhou^1,2, P. T. Greenlees ⁷, R. D. Page ⁸, B. H. Sun ⁹, S. F. Ashley ¹⁰, I. G. Darby ¹¹, S. Eeckhaudt⁷, A. B. Garnsworthy ¹², M. B. Gómez-Hornillos ¹³, T. Grahn ⁷, D. G. Jenkins³, P. Jones ¹⁴, R. Julin⁷, D. T. Joss ⁸, S. Ketelhut ⁷, J. G. Li^1,2, M. Leino ⁷, M. L. Liu ¹⁵, Z. H. Li¹⁶, C. Ma ¹⁷, M. Niikura¹⁸, M. Nyman¹⁹, J. Pakarinen ⁷, S. Pietri ²⁰, Zs. Podolyák ⁶, P. Rahkila ⁷, J. Sarén ⁷, N. J. Thompson⁶, J. Uusitalo⁷, T. Uesaka²¹, S. Williams⁶, Y. F. Wu ^1,2, X. X. Xu^1,2, C. X. Yuan ¹⁵, Q. B. Zeng^1,2, F. S. Zhang ²², and S. Y. Zhang¹⁶

¹State Key Laboratory of Heavy Ion Science and Technology, Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China
²School of Nuclear Science and Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
³School of Physics, Engineering and Technology, University of York, York, YO10 5DD, United Kingdom
⁴School of Physics Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
⁵KTH, Alba Nova University Center, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden
⁶Department of Physics, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH, United Kingdom
⁷Accelerator Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Jyväskylä, FI-40014 Jyväskylä, Finland
⁸Department of Physics, Oliver Lodge Laboratory, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZE, United Kingdom
⁹School of Physics and Nuclear Energy Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
¹⁰Sellafield Ltd, Seascale, Cumbria CA20 1PG, United Kingdom
¹¹Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications, International Atomic Energy Agency, A-1400 Vienna, Austria
¹²TRIUMF, 4004 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 2A3, Canada
¹³STFC, Daresbury Laboratory, Daresbury, Warrington WA4 4AD, United Kingdom
¹⁴iThemba LABS, National Research Foundation, PO Box 722, Somerset West, South Africa
¹⁵Sino-French Institute of Nuclear Engineering and Technology, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai 519082, China
¹⁶School of Physics and State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
¹⁷Shanghai Key Laboratory of Particle Physics and Cosmology, School of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
¹⁸CNS, University of Tokyo, Tokyo 351-0100, Japan
¹⁹Department of Physics, University of Helsinki, FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland
²⁰GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung, D-64291 Darmstadt, Germany
²¹RIKEN Nishina Center for Accelerator-Based Science, Saitama 351-0198, Japan
²²The Key Laboratory of Beam Technology of Ministry of Education, College of Nuclear Science and Technology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China

^*Contact author: liuzhong@impcas.ac.cn
^†Contact author: andrei.andreyev@york.ac.uk
^‡Contact author: gjfu@tongji.edu.cn
^§Contact author: p.walker@surrey.ac.uk

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Phys. Rev. Lett. 136, 082503 – Published 26 February, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/6cjc-bhfg

Abstract

Delayed $γ$ -ray spectroscopy was performed for evaporation residues produced in the ${}^{58}{Ni} + {}^{96}{Ru}$ reaction. A new isomer in ${}_{70}^{150}{Yb}$ ( $Z = 70$ , $N = 80$ ) with a half-life of $0.62 (5) μ s$ was identified at an excitation energy of 2872(2) keV. Its spin-parity is assigned as ( $10^{+}$ ) and a decay scheme is proposed based on a strong analogy with that of the isotonic ${}_{68}^{148}{Er}$ . Previously, the $10^{+}$ isomers were observed in the $N = 80$ even- $Z$ isotones from the neutron-rich ${}_{46}^{126}{Pd}$ to the neutron-deficient ${}_{68}^{148}{Er}$ . For the first time, by combining experimental data and comprehensive large-scale shell-model calculations, we clearly identify the configurations of these isomers and demonstrate that they all exhibit seniority structures. These findings firmly establish a configuration change in the $10^{+}$ isomeric chain, from a pair of maximally aligned $1 h_{11 / 2}$ neutrons (holes) to a pair of maximally aligned $1 h_{11 / 2}$ protons around the $Z = 64$ subshell closure. This transition serves as a unique isomeric relay underpinning the persistence of the isomeric chain.

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Discovery of an $I^{π} = 1 0^{+}$ Isomer in ${}^{150}{Yb}$ : Nature of the Longest $10^{+}$ Isomeric Chain

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Discovery of an Iπ=10+ Isomer in Yb150: Nature of the Longest 10+ Isomeric Chain

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Discovery of an $I^{π} = 1 0^{+}$ Isomer in ${}^{150}{Yb}$ : Nature of the Longest $10^{+}$ Isomeric Chain