Precision mass measurements of neutron-rich yttrium and niobium isotopes

The atomic masses of neutron-rich 95–101Y and 101–107Nb produced in proton-induced fission of uranium were determined using the JYFLTRAP double Penning trap setup. Accuracies of better than 10 keV could be reached for most nuclides. The masses of 106,107Nb were measured for the first time. The energies of the isomeric states in 96Y and 100Y were measured as 1541(10) keV and 145(15) keV. The niobium isotopes appear to be systematically less bound than the values given in the latest Atomic Mass Evaluation. The new data lie in a region of the nuclear chart characterised by the transition from spherical to strongly deformed shapes. These structural changes are explored by studying different systematic trends. The data are also compared to several model predictions to test their ability to reproduce the structural changes along the isotopic chains of yttrium and niobium.