Collinear laser spectroscopy of radioisotopes of zirconium

Isotope shifts and hyperfine structures have been measured for radioisotopes of ionic zirconium using on-line laser spectroscopy at the IGISOL facility in Jyvaskyla, where the installation of an ion beam cooler/buncher has significantly improved the experimental sensitivity. Measurements have been made on all the neutron-deficient isotopes from 87Zr to 90Zr, including the isomers 87m,89mZr, and the neutron-rich isotopes from 96Zr to 102Zr. The change in mean square charge radii between the isotopes and the nuclear moments of the odd isotopes have been extracted. The data show a sudden increase in the mean square charge radius at mass A = 100, consistent with an onset of nuclear deformation which has been observed in the gamma ray spectroscopy of isotope chains in this region of the nuclear chart.