A new nuclear 'island' where magic numbers break down

For decades, nuclear physicists believed that "Islands of Inversion"-regions where the normal rules of nuclear structure suddenly break down-were found mostly in neutron-rich isotopes. In these unusual pockets of the nuclear chart, magic numbers disappear, spherical shapes collapse, and nuclei unexpectedly transform into strongly deformed objects. So far, all such islands have been exotic nuclei such as beryllium-12 (N = 8), magnesium-32 (N = 20), and chromium-64 (N = 40), all of which a...