New experiment measures decay time for exotic nuclei
A new study led by the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has measured how long it takes for exotic nuclei to decay
The one-of-a-kind facility was used by scientists to better understand the nucleus, the collection of protons and neutrons found at the heart of atoms
The programs that are being pursued are really exciting to watch, according to Heather Crawford and there's a lot of undiscovered potentials
"It's going to be really exciting - mind-blowing, honestly." This is a small taste of what it might be like at the facility later", Crawford said.
The study looked at many elements. They have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons
The "drip line" is where neutrons can no longer bind to a nucleus The water from a saturated kitchen sponge is what the additional neutrons are made of.
Researchers smashed a beam of stable calcium-48 nuclei traveling at about 60% of the speed of light. The calcium produced isotopes that were individually identified
A useful test for different models of the atomic world can be found in the fundamental information about nuclei at the limits of their existence.
These models help us fill in the gaps, which helps us more reliably predict things we haven't been able to measure yet.
Understanding how elements form in exploding stars or how processes unfold in nuclear reactors and it help in advance research in areas such as astrophysics and nuclear physics.
Crawford and the team plan to repeat the half-life experiment next year, taking advantage of the additional beam intensity that will increase the isotopes produced