Charge radii and ground state structure of lithium isotopes: Experiment and theory reexamined

Changes in the nuclear charge radii of lithium isotopes were determined using a combination of precise isotope shift measurements and theoretical atomic structure calculations. We discuss the choice of the reference isotope for absolute charge radii determinations in the lithium isotopic chain and report a new value for the charge radius of ⁶Li, based on the analysis of the world scattering data. A summary of the lithium nuclear charge radii obtained in this way is presented. Additionally, new calculations in fermionic molecular dynamics for the lithium isotopes were performed. We summarize the status of the lithium nuclear charge radii, magnetic dipole and electric quadrupole moments from experimental investigations and compare them to the results of various microscopic and three-body nuclear models.