A Note on Nuclear Isomerism

Abstract

It is suggested that nuclear isomerism may be due to the fact that the two lowest nuclear states have zero angular momentum and opposite parity. The lifetime of the first excited state is estimated under these conditions for the emission of two quanta and for the ejection of two electrons from the $K$ or $L$ shell. The possibility of distinguishing experimentally between this hypothesis and that of Weizsäcker is discussed.