US-Wissenschaftler brechen Hochleistungs-Uranstrahl-Rekord und erschließen neue Isotope | Ein Uranstrahl, der auf ein Ziel trifft, wird fragmentiert oder gespalten, wodurch eine Reihe seltener, instabiler Isotope mit unterschiedlicher Anzahl von Neutronen entstehen.

From the article: Scientists at the US Department of Energy’s Facility for Rare Isotope Beams have achieved a significant milestone in the study of isotopes.

In their latest experiment, they accelerated a high-power uranium beam. They delivered a record 10.4 kilowatts of continuous beam power to a target.

This breakthrough is highly relevant in current scenarios when researchers worldwide require a uranium primary beam to study rare isotopes.

Uranium is the heaviest naturally occurring element and is difficult to accelerate. It is heavy, and its complex atomic structure makes it difficult to control. However, uranium is essential for scientific research.

When a uranium beam hits a target, it fragments or undergoes fission. This produces a wide array of rare isotopes, which are unstable versions of elements with varying numbers of neutrons.

“Establishing the acceleration of a uranium beam with unprecedented power is a crucial milestone for FRIB. The achievement opens a new avenue of research with rare isotopes,” said the researchers.

Interestingly, the result of this experiment was highly impressive. Within just 8 hours of operation with the high-power uranium beam, FRIB scientists made a remarkable discovery.

They produced and identified three isotopes that had never been observed before: gallium-88, arsenic-93, and selenium-96. This rapid success highlights the potential of FRIB’s cutting-edge technology.

“The high-power uranium beam required the stable operation of all accelerator devices at the highest accelerating gradients,” added the press release.