Magnetic clues help explain how elements form in stars

A scientific team led by FRIB researchers identified the origin of a mysterious excess of low-energy gamma rays emitted by the nucleus zinc-70. They found that the excess is caused by magnetic transitions within the nucleus. The study (“Magnetic character of the low-energy enhancement in 70Zn”), published in Nature, sheds light on a long-standing puzzle in nuclear physics and has far-reaching implications for astrophysics.