(Phys.org)—A nearby short duration gamma-ray burst may be the cause of an intense blast of high-energy radiation that hit the Earth in the 8th century, according to new research led by astronomers Valeri Hambaryan and Ralph ...
Astronomy
Jan 21, 2013
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Beryllium, a hard, silvery metal long used in X-ray machines and spacecraft, is finding a new role in the quest to bring the power that drives the sun and stars to Earth. Beryllium is one of the two main materials used for ...
Plasma Physics
Jul 2, 2019
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6
A team of researchers affiliated with multiple institutions in the U.S. has successfully pulled an ice core from Antarctica's Ong Valley that contains samples of Earth's atmosphere from up to 5 million years ago. In their ...
In collaboration with an international team of researchers, Michigan State University (MSU) has helped create the world's lightest version—or isotope—of magnesium to date.
Condensed Matter
Dec 23, 2021
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A group of researchers have discovered the retreat of an ancient ice sheet from the western coast of Canada occurred earlier than previously thought.
Earth Sciences
Sep 26, 2018
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Some chemical elements appear much more abundantly in nature than others, which is partly due to how the elements originally formed. Scientists know that the light elements (hydrogen, deuterium, helium, and ...
A research group led by Professor Dr. Wilfried Nortershäuser has, for the first time, managed to measure the size of the charge distribution in the atomic nucleus of the highly exotic beryllium-12 isotope. The researchers ...
Condensed Matter
Apr 5, 2012
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Physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology have demonstrated the first "universal" programmable quantum information processor able to run any program allowed by quantum mechanics -- the rules governing ...
Quantum Physics
Nov 15, 2009
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There are heavy metal videos, and now there's a "Not so heavy metal video." This one isn't about music however, it's about beryllium, the primary ingredient in making state-of-the-art mirrors for the next generation space ...
Space Exploration
Jan 14, 2011
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1
A recent experiment at the DOE's Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility has found that a proton's nearest neighbors in the nucleus of the atom may modify the proton's internal structure.
General Physics
Nov 18, 2009
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Beryllium ( /bəˈrɪliəm/ bə-ril-ee-əm) is the chemical element with the symbol Be and atomic number 4. It is a divalent element which occurs naturally only in combination with other elements in minerals. Notable gemstones which contain beryllium include beryl (aquamarine, emerald) and chrysoberyl. As a free element it is a steel-gray, strong, lightweight and brittle alkaline earth metal.
Beryllium is used primarily as a hardening agent in alloys, notably beryllium copper. In structural applications, high flexural rigidity, thermal stability, thermal conductivity and low density (1.85 times that of water) make beryllium a quality aerospace material for high-speed aircraft, missiles, space vehicles and communication satellites. Because of its low density and atomic mass, beryllium is relatively transparent to X-rays and other forms of ionizing radiation; therefore, it is the most common window material for X-ray equipment and in particle physics experiments. The high thermal conductivity of beryllium and beryllium oxide have led to their use in heat transport and heat sinking applications.
The commercial use of beryllium metal presents technical challenges due to the toxicity (especially by inhalation) of beryllium-containing dusts. Beryllium is corrosive to tissue, and can cause a chronic life-threatening allergic disease called berylliosis in some people. As it is not synthesized in stars, beryllium is a relatively rare element in both the Earth and the universe. The element is not known to be necessary or useful for either plant or animal life.
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