We calculate field isotope shifts for nobelium atoms using nuclear charge distributions which come from different nuclear models. We demonstrate that comparing calculated isotope shifts with experiment can serve as a testing ground for nuclear theories. It also provides a way of extracting parameters of nuclear charge distribution beyond nuclear root mean square (rms) radius, e.g., parameter of quadrupole deformation $\beta$. The measurements of at least two atomic transitions is needed to disentangle the contributions of the changes in deformation and nuclear rms radius into field isotopic shift. We argue that a previous interpretation of the isotope measurements in terms of $\delta \langle r^2\rangle$ between ${}^{252,254}\mathrm{No}$ isotopes should be amended when nuclear deformation is taken into account. We calculate isotope shifts for other known isotopes and for hypothetically metastable isotope ${}^{286}\mathrm{No}$ for which the predictions of nuclear models differ substantially.

• Received 26 January 2020
• Revised 29 April 2020
• Accepted 6 August 2020

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.102.024326