I present first experimental evidence for a low-energy toroidal electric dipole mode in the nucleus $^{58}$Ni based on a combined analysis of high-resolution (p,p’), (γ,γ’) and (e,e’) experiments [1]. Large transverse electron scattering form factors are identified as a unique signature of the toroidal nature of E1 transitions. Although $^{58}$Ni is a nucleus with N ≈ Z, these results bear...
Photons provide a particularly clean probe for studying a wide range of nuclear structure phenomena [1]. Their interaction with the nucleus is described by the electromagnetic interaction, so that the nuclear response can be separated almost model-independently from the details of the reaction mechanism. Thus, photon-induced reactions are important tools in nuclear physics for determining the...
The pygmy dipole resonance (PDR) is a feature commonly appearing in the low-lying electric dipole response of nuclei on top of the tail of the giant dipole resonance (GDR). Despite the ongoing debates regarding its origin, its emergence is commonly associated with the presence of the neutron excess and might potentially affect the neutron-capture rates and, thus, abundances of elements...
