Symmetric Skeleton Structure of Atomic Nuclei: Zonal Stability and Radiation Mechanisms in Ruthenium Isotopes (Z = 44)

The study of the internal structure of atomic nuclei is one of the fundamental problems of nuclear physics. Various theoretical models have been proposed to explain nuclear structure, and these models attempt to describe the interaction of protons and neutrons, nuclear stability, and radioactive transformations [6], [8], [13].

In this work, the Symmetric Skeleton Structure (SSS) approach is used to explain the structure of atomic nuclei. According to this approach, atomic nuclei are organized according to certain geometric and harmonic symmetry laws, and the arrangement of nucleons forms a specific symmetric skeleton structure [1], [2].

According to the SSS model, the nuclei of the first 118 chemical elements possess certain symmetric structural properties. Within this model, two main types of symmetry are distinguished in the nucleus: radial symmetry and mirror symmetry [3], [4].

In this study, the main focus is on nuclei with paired protons and complete harmonic symmetry. In order to investigate the structural characteristics of nuclei belonging to this category, the element Ruthenium (Z = 44) and its isotopes were selected.

Structurally, the isotopes of Ruthenium can be divided into three main zones:

• neutron-deficient zone
• stable interval
• neutron-excess zone

The stable interval is further divided into three subzones:

• lower sensitive zone
• middle insensitive zone
• upper sensitive zone

The radioactive behavior of nuclei in these zones is explained by different mechanisms. In the neutron-deficient zone, β⁺ decay and electron capture are predominantly observed, whereas in the neutron-excess zone, β⁻ decay occurs [6], [11]. In the stable interval, radioactivity mainly appears in nuclei with an odd neutron number, and only within the sensitive zones.

The article presents structural models of Ruthenium isotopes and provides a table listing the proton number, neutron number, mass number, half-life, and radiation type for all isotopes.