Slashdot Mirror
Japan Claims Heaviest-Ever Element
mOoZik writes "According to People's Daily Online, Japanese scientists claim to have created a new element, whose atomic number is 113, by bombarding a Bismuth atom target with 2.5 trillion zinc atoms per second for 80 days. The claim, as that of Russian and American scientists that claimed to have created elements 113 and 115 in February, remains to be officially confirmed."
All the really heavy elements created so far have been highly unstable. However, I seem to recall a theory that suggested that some heavier elements may be more stable; perhaps able to survive long enough to be useful.
The real goal, though is to expand our understanding of physics. We're pushing the edge of our capabilities, and that's where we have the most to learn. Do the new elements behave exactly as predicted, or do we need a better model? Can the techniques used to produce these atoms be applied to other situations?