US researchers have created exotic new versions of atomic nuclei including one previously thought to not exist. The three new isotopes of magnesium and aluminium suggest other heavy variants of everyday elements could be created. The new nuclei existed for only a fraction of a second and were created by smashing atoms at half the speed of light in a particle accelerator. The work, published in the journal Nature, may give astrophysicists insights into the workings of stars.
Researchers at Michigan State Universitys National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory (NSCL) have created three isotopes of magnesium and aluminium. The results not only stake out new territory on the nuclear landscape, but also suggest that variants of everyday elements might exist that are heavier than current scientific models predict. The findings appear today in the journal Nature.