Using the 88-inch cyclotron from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, an international team of physicists successfully created two atoms Rivermorium (Atomic Symbol LV) A breakthrough in which the lab tries to create a new element 120, using titanium beams for the first time.
Rivermorium, make a gate et al. A fusion isotopes of titanium and plutonium. Image credits: Jennius, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
Currently there are 118 known elements, 90 of which occur naturally on Earth.
Heavy elements than fermium (with 100 protons) must be created by combining the nuclei of two lighter elements, but not all combinations work.
The heaviest, currently known element was created by fusing a specific isotope of calcium, calcium-48 (containing 20 protons and 28 neutrons), with a heavier element, but this method works only up to element 118 (Oganesson).
The number of special (so-called magic) protons and neutrons makes it more possible to fusion of calcium and the survival of the nucleus of the resulting compounds.
But to go further, scientists need new techniques.
In the new experiment, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and her colleague Dr. Jacklyn Gates made a major breakthrough by accelerating a beam of titanium-50 (containing 22 protons and 28 neutrons) with an 88-inch cyclotron, dissolving it with the nucleus of plutonium-244 (containing 94 protons and 150 diseases) and titanium nucleus.
Over 22 days, physicists successfully produced two atoms of rivermorium, the chemical element with symbol LV and atomic number 116.
This experiment shows that new elements other than Oganesson can be created in the Berkeley Lab.
However, creating element 120 is expected to be 10-20 times more difficult than Livermorium.
If successful, element 120 is the heaviest known element, offering a new opportunity to explore the outermost limits of atomic structures and further test theories of nuclear physics.
“This response has never been demonstrated before, and it was essential to prove that it was possible before embarking on an attempt to make a 120,” Dr. Gates said.
“Creating new elements is a very rare feat. It’s part of the process and it’s exciting to have a promising path forward.”
“This was an important first step in trying to make something a little easier than the new ones to see how the movement from the calcium beam to the titanium beam changes the rate at which these elements are produced,” said Dr. Jennifer Pore of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
“When we are trying to create these incredibly rare elements, we are at the absolute edge of human knowledge and understanding. There is no guarantee that physics will work as expected.”
“Using titanium to create element 116, we now have the ability to verify that this production method works and plan the hunt for element 120.”
Team’s paper Published in the journal Physical Review Letter.
____
JM Gate et al. 2025. Towards discovering new elements: production of rivermorium (z = 116) 50Ti. Phys. Pastor Rett 133, 172502; doi: 10.1103/physrevlett.133.172502
Source: www.sci.news
