Canadian Researchers Create Supernova In-lab

Erebus42 writes "Canada has done something neat. Apparently researchers at the University of British Columbia have created supernova in their ISAC (Isotope Seperator and Accelerator), transmuting sodium 21 into magnesium 22. Spiffy."

Re:Help... Please?

[nerdlyone]

In a star, the massive outward pressure from the nuclear reaction is balanced by the inward pressure of gravity. The bigger the star, the more gravity. The more gravity, the closer the individual atoms inside the star have to be. Once the star gets big enough, some of the atoms are literally mashed together to form a new element. Example: a hydrogen (one proton) gets added to a helium (two protons), creating whatever element #3 is. This is alchemy. New elements. All the heavy elements (i.e., anything greater than atomic number 2) were supposedly made this way. We are all stardust. Every atom in our bodies went through a supernova, or so the theory goes.

In this experiment, they apparently used a particle accelerator to add a proton to sodium 21. This made magnesium (?), a new element. But it didn't last long, the proton decayed into a neutron, converting the atom back into sodium, this time with 22 nucleons (one extra neutron than before).

The reason this is news: we have never converted one element into another before (at least not this way).

Wait a sec

[gregfortune]

Ok, for the disclaimer: I've only had one course in Chemistry and don't have much of a clue what's going on, but....

1. If this decays into radioactive sodium, how long does it last? Are we talking standard half life stuff, or is this "magnesium" only magnesium for a very very short period of time?
   
2. Why sodium? Is there a property of sodium that makes this easier?
   
3. Would this process take more and more energy when working with larger atoms? If so, the alchemy idea is pretty much out.
   
4. On all the comments about lead to gold, I think we're talking about a different process. It looks like the sodium atom is being bombarded with protons until one sticks, correct? Lead to Gold would require ripping 2 protons out of lead which seems a lot less feasible...
   

Just some assorted ravings of a mad man ;o)

Another good link

[MrEd]

is here [thestar.com] at the Toronto Star. It's a bit older, but hey, it's got more background information about the facility.

I can't believe that the 3D View of the Experimental Hall [triumf.ca] (which I worked two weeks on as a summer student) is actually posted on Slashdot! Fame and fortune, here I come!

Re:Why is a proton beam like a nova?

[MrEd]

The DRAGON experiment is concerned with trying to acquire data about the transmutation reaction of Na(11,21) into Mg(12,22). The reactions occur quite infrequently and result in only a very small momentum change in the particle, so the two bending magnets and electric dipoles are required to isolate the stream of Mg particles and feed them into a detector.

I'm a little fuzzy on the details, but you can probably find them on the ISAC webpage.