178m2Hf
178m2Hf, hafnium-178m2, is a nuclear isomer of hafnium-178 representing a metastable excited state. It is denoted m2 to indicate the second metastable level. The isomer has an excitation energy of about 2.446 MeV above the ground state and a relatively long half-life on the order of decades, commonly cited as around 31 years. Its spin and parity are reported as Jπ = 16+, and it decays primarily by gamma emission to the ground state, with internal conversion contributing to de-excitation.
Production and isolation of 178m2Hf occur in nuclear environments where hafnium isotopes undergo neutron capture or
The isomer has attracted attention as a potential high-energy-density storage medium because its excitation energy is
In current scientific use, 178m2Hf serves as a case study in nuclear structure, isomeric transitions, and the