Quadrupole moment of $^{203}$Fr
Résumé
The spectroscopic electric quadrupole moment of the neutron-deficient francium isotope 203 Fr was measured by using high-resolution collinear resonance ionization spectroscopy (CRIS) at the CERN Isotope Separation On-Line Device (ISOLDE) facility. A remeasurement of the 207 Fr quadrupole moment was also performed, resulting in a departure from the established literature value. A sudden increase in magnitude of the 203 Fr quadrupole moment, with respect to the general trend in the region, points to an onset of static deformation at N = 116 in the 87 Fr isotopic chain. Calculation of the static and total deformation parameters show that the increase in static deformation only cannot account for the observed departure of its relative charge radius from the 82 Pb chain.