Further Reading — Chapter 15

Textbooks

K.S. Krane, Introductory Nuclear Physics (Wiley, 1988), Chapters 10 and 15. The standard undergraduate treatment. Chapter 10 covers electromagnetic transitions (multipole classification, selection rules, Weisskopf estimates). Chapter 15 covers gamma decay, internal conversion, and the Mossbauer effect. Exceptionally clear and concise.
S.S.M. Wong, Introductory Nuclear Physics, 2nd ed. (Wiley-VCH, 2004), Chapter 5. Thorough treatment of electromagnetic transitions and gamma decay with worked examples. Good discussion of internal conversion coefficient systematics.
W.D. Loveland, D.J. Morrissey, and G.T. Seaborg, Modern Nuclear Chemistry, 2nd ed. (Wiley, 2017), Chapter 9. Practical focus on gamma-ray detection and spectroscopy. Includes modern detector technologies and analysis methods. Excellent discussion of nuclear isomers and their applications.
A. Bohr and B.R. Mottelson, Nuclear Structure, Vol. I (Benjamin, 1969; reprinted by World Scientific, 1998), Chapters 3A--3B. Definitive treatment of electromagnetic moments and transition probabilities. Graduate level. The derivation of multipole operators and their matrix elements is thorough and authoritative.
P. Ring and P. Schuck, The Nuclear Many-Body Problem (Springer, 1980; reprinted 2004), Chapter 3. Advanced treatment of electromagnetic transitions in the context of nuclear many-body theory. Includes configuration mixing effects on transition rates.

J.H. Hamilton (ed.), Internal Conversion Processes (Academic Press, 1966). Classic monograph. Though dated, the physical explanations of internal conversion and the distinction from the photoelectric effect remain excellent.
T. Kibedi, T.W. Burrows, M.B. Trzhaskovskaya, P.M. Davidson, and C.W. Nestor Jr., "Evaluation of theoretical conversion coefficients using BrIcc," Nuclear Instruments and Methods A 589, 202 (2008). The reference paper for the BrIcc database, the standard source for modern internal conversion coefficient calculations using the Dirac-Fock method.

H. Frauenfelder, The Mossbauer Effect (Benjamin, 1962). An early classic, written by a master experimentalist. Elegant and physically intuitive. Still worth reading for the clarity of its explanations.
N.N. Greenwood and T.C. Gibb, Mossbauer Spectroscopy (Chapman and Hall, 1971). Comprehensive reference for applications of Mossbauer spectroscopy in chemistry and materials science. Extensive tables of isomer shifts and quadrupole splittings.
P. Gutlich, E. Bill, and A.X. Trautwein, Mossbauer Spectroscopy and Transition Metal Chemistry (Springer, 2011). Modern textbook covering the fundamentals and applications of Mossbauer spectroscopy, with emphasis on transition metal compounds. Excellent for the connection between Mossbauer parameters and electronic structure.

R.L. Mossbauer, "Kernresonanzfluoreszenz von Gammastrahlung in Ir-191," Zeitschrift fur Physik 151, 124 (1958). The original discovery paper. In German. Available in English translation in various collections.
R.L. Mossbauer, "Kernresonanzabsorption von Gammastrahlung in Ir-191," Naturwissenschaften 45, 538 (1958). The shorter communication that brought wider attention.
R.V. Pound and G.A. Rebka Jr., "Apparent weight of photons," Physical Review Letters 4, 337 (1960). The first measurement of the gravitational redshift using the Mossbauer effect.
R.V. Pound and J.L. Snider, "Effect of gravity on gamma radiation," Physical Review 140, B788 (1965). The refined measurement achieving 1% agreement with general relativity.

P.M. Walker and G.D. Dracoulis, "Energy traps in atomic nuclei," Nature 399, 35 (1999). Excellent review of nuclear isomers — the physics of spin traps, K-isomers, and shape isomers. Accessible and well-illustrated.
P.M. Walker and J.J. Carroll, "Nuclear isomers: recipes and applications," Physics Today 58(6), 39 (2005). Non-technical overview of isomer physics and applications, including the $^{178\text{m2}}$Hf controversy.
M. Hult, J. Gasparro, G. Marissens, P. Lindahl, U. Watjen, P.R. Johnston, C. Wagemans, and M. Kohler, "Search for the radioactivity of $^{180\text{m}}$Ta using an underground HPGe detector," Physical Review C 74, 054311 (2006). Sets the experimental lower limit on the $^{180\text{m}}$Ta half-life at $> 4.5 \times 10^{16}$ years.

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Molybdenum-99 for Medical Imaging (National Academies Press, 2016). Comprehensive review of the $^{99}$Mo/$^{99\text{m}}$Tc supply chain, production methods, and policy recommendations following the 2009--2010 shortage.

G. Klingelhofer et al., "Jarosite and hematite at Meridiani Planum from Opportunity's Mossbauer Spectrometer," Science 306, 1740 (2004). The key paper reporting jarosite detection on Mars — evidence for past water activity.
R.V. Morris et al., "Mossbauer mineralogy of rock, soil, and dust at Gusev Crater, Mars: Spirit's journey through weakly altered olivine basalt on the Plains and pervasively altered basalt in the Columbia Hills," Journal of Geophysical Research 111, E02S13 (2006). Comprehensive Mossbauer results from the Spirit rover.

BrIcc: Band-Raman Internal Conversion Coefficients database. https://bricc.anu.edu.au/ — Standard online tool for looking up internal conversion coefficients for any transition energy, multipolarity, and atomic number. Maintained by the Australian National University.
NNDC Evaluated Nuclear Structure Data File (ENSDF). https://www.nndc.bnl.gov/ensdf/ — The authoritative source for nuclear level schemes, gamma-ray energies, transition multipolarities, and branching ratios.
NNDC NuDat. https://www.nndc.bnl.gov/nudat/ — Interactive tool for exploring nuclear data, including isomeric states and decay schemes.
Mossbauer Effect Data Center. https://www.medc.dicp.ac.cn/ — Maintained at the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics. Contains a searchable database of published Mossbauer spectroscopy results and parameters.
IAEA LiveChart of Nuclides. https://nds.iaea.org/relnsd/vcharthtml/VChartHTML.html — Interactive chart of nuclides with nuclear level data, including isomeric states.

R.L. Mossbauer, "Recoilless nuclear resonance absorption of gamma radiation," Nobel Lecture (1961). Available at nobelprize.org. A clear and personal account of the discovery and its implications.
G.K. Wertheim, Mossbauer Effect: Principles and Applications (Academic Press, 1964). Early, very readable introduction to the effect and its applications. Good for the historical context.