Speaker
Description
The photon strength function (γSF) defines the likelihood of photon emission as a function of photon energy and the properties of the initial and final nuclear states. Of the features present in the γSF, an enhancement in the low-energy region has been observed in some nuclei. Despite two decades of research, the electromagnetic nature of this enhancement remains an open question. This low energy enhancement in the γSF significantly impacts our understanding of how elements are created in stars and how the nucleus is structured. In this work, we present the results from an experiment on the γSF of $^{70}$Zn. High-energy states in $^{70}$Zn were populated from the decay of $^{70}$Cu produced, separated and delivered to an experimental station in two different $\beta$-decaying states, the 6$^{-}$ ground state and 1$^{+}$ isomeric state at 243-keV. The results show conclusively for the first time that the enhancement in the γSF of this nucleus is of magnetic nature. This insight answers a long-open question about atomic nuclei and directly impacts our predictive capabilities in nuclear science.