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Existence of new element confirmed

Date:
August 27, 2013
Source:
Lund University
Summary:
An international team of researchers has confirmed the existence of what is considered a new element with atomic number 115. The experiment was conducted at the GSI research facility in Germany. The results confirm earlier measurements performed by research groups in Russia.
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An international team of researchers, led by physicists from Lund University, has confirmed the existence of what is considered a new element with atomic number 115. The experiment was conducted at the GSI research facility in Germany. The results confirm earlier measurements performed by research groups in Russia.

“This was a very successful experiment and is one of the most important in the field in recent years”, said Dirk Rudolph, Professor at the Division of Atomic Physics at Lund University.

Besides the observations of the new chemical element, the researchers have also gained access to data that gives them a deeper insight into the structure and properties of super-heavy atomic nuclei.

By bombarding a thin film of americium with calcium ions, the research team was able to measure photons in connection with the new element’s alpha decay. Certain energies of the photons agreed with the expected energies for X-ray radiation, which is a ‘fingerprint’ of a given element.

The new super-heavy element has yet to be named. A committee comprising members of the international unions of pure and applied physics and chemistry will review the new findings to decide whether to recommend further experiments before the discovery of the new element is acknowledged.


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Materials provided by Lund University. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


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Lund University. "Existence of new element confirmed." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 27 August 2013. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/08/130827091636.htm>.
Lund University. (2013, August 27). Existence of new element confirmed. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 28, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/08/130827091636.htm
Lund University. "Existence of new element confirmed." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/08/130827091636.htm (accessed March 28, 2024).

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