Seminarium Fizyki Jądra Atomowego

Nuclear excited states with long half-lives (isomers) come in three forms – shape, spin, and spin orientation – which are introduced in this talk from an historical perspective. The extended half-lives of isomers make them not only sensitive probes of nuclear structure, but also potentially suitable for wider applications, such as energy-storage devices. After discussion of such matters, the talk focusses on long-lived isomers in the mass 180-190 region of deformed prolate nuclei, where, at high angular momentum, there is predicted to be competition from oblate configurations – but the experimental information is limited.