Not all of the material around us is stable. Some materials may undergo radioactive decay to form more stable isotopes. Scientists have now observed a new decay mode for the first time. In this decay, a lighter form of oxygen, ...
General Physics
Sep 4, 2023
3
335
What scientists call the "nuclear weak distribution" describes the distribution of "active" protons in a nucleus. These are protons that are eligible to transition into neutrons through what scientists call the "weak interaction."
General Physics
Jul 10, 2023
1
26
When some semiconductors absorb light, excitons (or particle pairs made of an electron bound to an electron hole) can form. Two-dimensional crystals of tungsten disulfide (WS2) have unique exciton states that are not found ...
Condensed Matter
Jun 20, 2023
0
943
Studying radioactive materials is very difficult due to the potential health risks they pose to scientists. Expense is also a major barrier, with some radioisotopes costing more than $10,000 per microgram (or $10 billion ...
Analytical Chemistry
Jun 5, 2023
0
192
The building blocks of atomic nuclei are protons and neutrons, which are themselves made of even more fundamental particles: quarks and gluons. These particles interact via the strong force, one of the four fundamental forces ...
Plasma Physics
Jun 5, 2023
0
1084
To produce commercial energy, future fusion power plants will need to achieve temperatures of 100 million degrees C. To do so requires careful control of the plasma. In a study published in the journal Nuclear Fusion, researchers ...
Plasma Physics
May 30, 2023
3
287
Microbes play important roles in ecosystems, and these roles are changing with global warming. Scientists also now know that most types of microbes are infected by viruses, but they know relatively little about how these ...
Ecology
May 8, 2023
0
45
Understanding the arrangement of electrons in compounds containing actinide elements, such as uranium and plutonium, can help advance the design of next-generation nuclear materials. These elements are challenging to study ...
Analytical Chemistry
Mar 27, 2023
0
150
"Have you ever wondered about life on a leaf?" Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC) researcher Ashley Shade asks a simple question, but it's one well worth investigation.
Cell & Microbiology
Mar 22, 2023
0
173
Atomic nuclei take a range of shapes, from spherical (like a basketball) to deformed (like an American football). Spherical nuclei are often described by the motion of a small fraction of the protons and neutrons, while deformed ...
General Physics
Feb 27, 2023
0
414
