Posted on 10/28/2007 9:11:41 PM PDT by neverdem
Physicists have created the heaviest isotope yet of magnesium, but in their experiments an unexpected isotope of aluminum also showed up. The findings could help astrophysicists understand occasional X-ray emissions from neutron stars that are growing in mass.
The 7-day-long experiment took place at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory (NSCL), an atom smasher at Michigan State University in East Lansing. Hoping to test the limits of how many extra neutrons will bind to an atomic nucleus, researchers were trying to create magnesium-40, a heavyweight element with 18 more neutrons than the most common isotope, magnesium-22. Standard theory says that magnesium-40 should be the heaviest isotope of the element that can exist, if only for a fleeting instant, before decaying.
NSCL's Thomas Baumann and his colleagues shot nuclei of calcium-48the heaviest naturally occurring calcium isotopeat a tungsten foil at about half the speed of light. Atomic collisions created all sorts of debris, including fragments from both calcium and tungsten nuclei, out of which new atomic nuclei occasionally formed.
Like Adam in the book of Genesis, the heavy magnesium nuclei started appearing on the fifth day of the experiment. The researchers picked up three of them among the quadrillion particles produced. And it was very good, but then something even more interesting happened (think Eve). The detector recorded 23 particles whose charge and mass marked them as aluminum-42, the researchers report in the Oct. 25 Nature.
According to Baumann, most theories had predicted that aluminum-42 wouldn't exist. While physicists know that the strong nuclear force keeps atomic nuclei together, they cannot calculate exactly the complex interplay of forces among neutrons and protons. Several competing models aim to approximate this interplay. "The range of predictions is pretty broad," says Baumann.
The discovery of aluminum-42 suggests that even heavier aluminum isotopes could exist, says...
(Excerpt) Read more at sciencenews.org ...
This discovery lead to major advances in tin foil hat technology!
Then again .... Should we wait until you get the scores back before lifting a can of light/lite/heavier-than-before—but-not-quite-so-light beer?
Let’s wait...while I wait, I am getting my PCI precast concrete inspector Level I and II certifications, and next year I intend to become a Certified Welding Inspector.
whew!!
It's an advance in nuclear physics when you get unexpected results.
Extra heavy duty foil? Who cares, just let me know when it's transparent!
And let me know when they come up with adamantium!
Mark
Before you know it they will be making gold ...and then we can all live forever.
It is basic research. All it does is help us understand the world better. There are no immediate commercial applications.
But don't let that make you think that basic research isn't important. If people could foresee the results of basic research they wouldn't need to do it. Things like nuclear reactors have come from studies that only a couple of years before were considered basic research.
A keyboard, how quaint!
This reminds me of part of the premise for ‘The Gods Themselves’ by Isaac Asimov. Not trying to read anything into it, but I think they were playing with heavy isotopes of light elements too at the beginning.
“Like Adam in the book of Genesis, the heavy magnesium nuclei started appearing on the fifth day of the experiment. “
Oh yeah! Da Vinci Code sequel here I come!
Would the math and logic involved in the reality that these theories attempt to understand argue for some sort of design? After all this is reverse engineering isn’t it?
I'd say it's experimental nuclear physicists testing the hypotheses of the theoretical nuclear physicists. By getting an unexpected result, it's back to the drawing board.
An order of magnitude more impermeability for the foil hats?
What they found with the particle detector was nuclei. Is it possible that any of these nuclei would have some property making it unable to take on the electrons required to become an atom?
!!!!!
Holy cow, had no idea they could do that! Always thought they had to produce thousands or millions of something before they had any real chance of seeing it. What are they doing now, cataloging and identifying every single particle produced? That's just amazing.
Looking to develope transparent aluminum?
Sheez - we already have it, or I should say the Germans invented it. It’s called aluminium.
Okay, so it’s only translucent, but that’s really close to transparent.
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