Hafnium-153 is located in the neutron-deficient heavy-nucleus region and is an important subject for studying the evolution of nuclear structure and the limits of nuclear stability. It had not been reported prior to this experiment. The discovery and precise measurement of this nuclide will help test nuclear theory models and deepen the understanding of the laws governing nuclear structure.

In the experiment, the research team used a bismuth-209 beam provided by the HIAF booster to bombard a graphite target, producing radioactive nuclides through projectile fragmentation reactions. The reaction products were filtered through a high-energy radioactive beam line and then injected into a high-precision storage ring spectrometer. Using isochronous mass spectrometry, the team observed a total of 10 hafnium-153 ions.

The measurement results indicate that hafnium-153 is a bound or weakly bound nuclide, consistent with predictions from existing theoretical models. Meanwhile, RIKEN in Japan also independently reported the observation of hafnium-153, and the two studies corroborate each other, further highlighting the significant research value of this nuclide.