First Penning trap mass measurements beyond the proton drip line

Phys Rev Lett. 2008 Jan 11;100(1):012501. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.100.012501. Epub 2008 Jan 10.

Abstract

The masses of six neutron-deficient rare holmium and thulium isotopes close to the proton drip line were determined with the SHIPTRAP Penning trap mass spectrometer. For the first time the masses of the proton-unbound isotopes 144,145Ho and 147,148Tm were directly measured. The proton separation energies were derived from the measured mass values and compared to predictions from mass formulas. The new values of the proton separation energies are used to determine the location of the proton drip line for holmium and thulium more accurately.