The search for new elements stems from a vision of uncovering an atomic variant that is stable enough to last beyond the fleeting moments usually associated with superheavy elements. In nuclear physics, there exists a theory of an “island of stability” — a speculative zone on the periodic table where as-yet-undiscovered superheavy elements could possess the unusual characteristic of prolonged stability. This pursuit explores the ultimate endurance of atomic nuclei, pushing the boundaries of our understanding.
Recently, researchers from Lund University in Sweden developed an innovative approach for observing livermorium, an element with an atomic number of 116. This method has shown promise and marks an essential step in the ambitious journey to produce element 120, which, if successful, would become the heaviest element known. This achievement is discussed in detail in a paper published in the journal Physical Review Letters.
Dirk Rudolph, one of the researchers from Lund University, reported an encouraging start to the experiment. “We were able to register a livermorium nucleus in our detector just eight days into the experiment, which shows that we had chosen pretty good settings from the start,” he explained. This breakthrough suggests that the team’s experimental setup was well-calibrated and effective in detecting livermorium almost immediately.
The experiment took place at the Berkeley Lab in the United States. For Rudolph and his colleagues at Lund University, this project represents an exciting opportunity, as they were responsible for supplying a critical component of the detector system used in the experiments. The new detector, called SHREC, is a compact device equipped with 14 specialized silicon wafers, carefully transported from Sweden to the United States.
Creating superheavy elements is an intricate process. It begins with an accelerator producing a powerful ion beam, which then targets a thin layer of an element heavier than uranium. Through fusion, the products of this reaction can be captured and analyzed using a highly sensitive detection system. With SHREC in place, the Lund team witnessed their detector performing flawlessly in real-time during the experiment. Pavel Golubev, the team’s detector expert, expressed satisfaction with the device’s performance, noting, “I’m very proud that SHREC performed like clockwork in the experimental setup right after we brought it with us from Lund.”
The ongoing livermorium experiment is set to continue throughout the year. Afterward, the research team intends to take on an even more challenging goal: attempting to produce element 120. Achieving this next step will likely require years of dedication and experimentation, but it holds the potential to expand the periodic table and deepen our grasp of atomic stability at the extreme boundaries of physics.
Source: Lund University