Celebrating the legacy of Maria Goeppert Mayer

This year marks the 75^th anniversary of the nuclear shell model, a theory pivotal to our understanding of the nuclei in atoms. It was developed by Nobel laureate, Maria Goeppert Mayer. In June 1949, Physical Review published the second of her two seminal papers on the theory.

This model revolutionized our understanding of nuclear physics by proposing that protons and neutrons within a nucleus organize themselves in distinct energy levels, similar to the way electrons orbit the nucleus in an atom. This leads to exceptionally stable configurations, termed ​“magic” numbers (2, 8, 20, 28, 50, 82 and 126). Nuclei with N = 126 are the subject of study even today.

“Goeppert Mayer’s groundbreaking work on the nuclear shell model is as relevant today as when it was developed in the late 1940s.” — Ian Cloet, theoretical physicist

From 1946 to 1960, Goeppert Mayer was a researcher at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory and in the physics department at the University of Chicago. In 1963, she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for this discovery, becoming the second woman in history to receive this prestigious honor.

Born on June 28, 1906, in Kattowitz, Germany (now Katowice, Poland), Goeppert Mayer’s scientific career was nothing short of extraordinary. In 1930, she earned her Ph.D. in theoretical physics from the University of Göttingen, under the guidance of the renowned physicist Max Born. This marked the beginning of a distinguished career that would eventually lead her to the pinnacle of scientific recognition.

Beyond her scientific accomplishments, Goeppert Mayer was a trailblazer for gender equality in academia. Her success paved the way for future generations of women scientists, inspiring them to pursue careers in physics and other science fields.

A conference scheduled for July 2024 at Argonne will showcase recent experimental and theoretical advances in atomic nuclear structure research from global perspectives. Notably, the conference will pay tribute to Goeppert Mayer’s nuclear shell model. It is being hosted by Argonne and the University of Chicago.

“Goeppert Mayer’s groundbreaking work on the nuclear shell model is as relevant today as when it was developed in the late 1940s,” said Ian Cloet, a theoretical physicist at Argonne. ​“The shell model provides the foundation for our understanding of the atomic nucleus and, even after 75 years, remains under active development.”

Today, modern tools like supercomputing and machine learning enable ever more sophisticated shell model calculations that continue to lead to important discoveries.

“Many of these calculations are done at Argonne, by Argonne scientists, so the legacy of Goeppert Mayer is as important today as when she was a member of Argonne’s Physics division,” said Cloet.

Learn more about Celebrating 75 Years of the Nuclear Shell Model and Maria Goeppert-Mayer here.

Argonne National Laboratory seeks solutions to pressing national problems in science and technology by conducting leading-edge basic and applied research in virtually every scientific discipline. Argonne is managed by UChicago Argonne, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit https://​ener​gy​.gov/​s​c​ience.