Observation of a correlated free four-neutron system
Artikel i vetenskaplig tidskrift, 2022
A long-standing question in nuclear physics is whether chargeless nuclear systems can exist. To our knowledge, only neutron stars represent near-pure neutron systems, where neutrons are squeezed together by the gravitational force to very high densities. The experimental search for isolated multi-neutron systems has been an ongoing quest for several decades(1), with a particular focus on the four-neutron system called the tetraneutron, resulting in only a few indications of its existence so far(2-4), leaving the tetraneutron an elusive nuclear system for six decades. Here we report on the observation of a resonance-like structure near threshold in the four-neutron system that is consistent with a quasi-bound tetraneutron state existing for a very short time. The measured energy and width of this state provide a key benchmark for our understanding of the nuclear force. The use of an experimental approach based on a knockout reaction at large momentum transfer with a radioactive high-energy He-8 beam was key.
Författare
M. Duer
Technische Universität Darmstadt
T. Aumann
Helmholtz Forschungsakademie Hessen für FAIR (HFHF)
Technische Universität Darmstadt
Helmholtz
R. Gernhaeuser
Technische Universität München
V. Panin
Helmholtz
S. Paschalis
University of York
D. M. Rossi
Technische Universität Darmstadt
N. L. Achouri
Normandie Université
D. Ahn
RIKEN
H. Baba
RIKEN
C. A. Bertulani
Texas A&M University
M. Boehmer
Technische Universität München
A. Corsi
Université Paris-Saclay
D. Cortina-Gil
Universidade de Santiagode Compostela
C. A. Douma
Rijksuniversiteit Groningen
Z. Elekes
Magyar Tudomanyos Akademia
Rijksuniversiteit Groningen
J. Feng
Beijing University of Technology
I. Gasparic
Ruder Boskovic Institute
J. M. Gheller
Université Paris-Saclay
A. Gillibert
Université Paris-Saclay
K. I. Hahn
Institute for Basic Science - Korea (IBS)
Ewha Womans University
Z. Halasz
Magyar Tudomanyos Akademia
A. Hirayama
Tokyo Institute of Technology
M. Holl
Technische Universität Darmstadt
N. Inabe
RIKEN
T. Isobe
RIKEN
N. Kalantar-Nayestanaki
Rijksuniversiteit Groningen
D. Kim
Institute for Basic Science - Korea (IBS)
S. Kim
Institute for Basic Science - Korea (IBS)
T. Kobayashi
Tohoku University
Y. Kondo
Tokyo Institute of Technology
I. Kuti
Magyar Tudomanyos Akademia
P. J. Li
The University of Hong Kong
Simon Lindberg
Chalmers, Fysik, Materialfysik
S. Masuoka
University of Tokyo
J. Mayer
Universität zu Köln
K. Miki
Tohoku University
T. Nakamura
Tokyo Institute of Technology
Thomas Nilsson
Chalmers, Fysik
A. Obertelli
The University of Hong Kong
Universidade de Santiagode Compostela
Université Paris-Saclay
P. M. Potlog
Institute for Space Sciences
A. Revel
Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS)
M. Sasano
RIKEN
H. Scheit
Technische Universität Darmstadt
RIKEN
F. Schindler
Technische Universität Darmstadt
H. T. Toernqvist
Helmholtz
T. Uesaka
RIKEN
Z. H. Yang
RIKEN
K. Yoneda
RIKEN
L. Zanetti
Technische Universität Darmstadt
J. Zenihiro
Kyoto University
RIKEN
Nature
0028-0836 (ISSN) 1476-4687 (eISSN)
Vol. 606 7915Experimentella studier av exotiska, lätta nukleära system
Vetenskapsrådet (VR) (2011-5324), 2012-01-01 -- 2014-12-31.
Ämneskategorier
Acceleratorfysik och instrumentering
Subatomär fysik
Annan fysik
DOI
10.1038/s41586-022-04827-6
PubMed
35732764