Iota Sigma Pi: Aurum Iodide Chapter
Announcement for March 2025 Meeting – Virtual
Friday, March 7, 2025
Jacklyn M. Gates
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
" Unveiling the Secrets of Element Creation: Pushing the Boundaries of the Periodic Table "
Meeting Agenda
• 7:00 PM (CST) - Speaker
• 8:00 PM Social hour (via breakout rooms)
Abstract: Over the past two decades, scientists have expanded the periodic table with groundbreaking discoveries of superheavy elements with atomic numbers 114 through 118. These achievements, made possible by combining calcium and actinide nuclei in nuclear reaction, have allowed us to produce these fleeting elements at rates of just an atom per day. But what lies beyond Oganesson (Element 118), the heaviest element discovered so far? How much farther can we extend the periodic table?
Creating new elements with atomic numbers 119 or 120 presents daunting challenges. To do this using calcium beams requires bombarding exotic and nearly impossible-to-obtain targets like Einsteinium (Element 99) or Fermium (Element 100). This scarcity of those materials pushes scientists to explore entirely new reaction pathways. Theoretical predictions offer potential roadmaps, but they come with uncertainties. While models accurately predict reactions involving calcium beams, their reliability plummets when heavier ion beams are used. For example, predictions for producing Element 120 vary wildly—by over six orders of magnitude—making experiments akin to searching for a needle in a haystack.
At Berkeley Lab, scientists are tackling these challenges head-on. Our team has launched an ambitious program to test new theoretical predictions and experiment with alternative reaction pathways. A key focus is the use of titanium beams (50Ti) with plutonium targets (244Pu), which could shed light on how heavier ion beams affect the production of superheavy elements. This presentation will take you inside our laboratory, showcasing upgrades to ion sources, detectors, and electronics, that are all designed to enable the discovery of new elements. We’ll share early results from the 50Ti+244Pu experiment and highlight the innovative techniques being used in laboratories around the world that aim to unlock the mysteries of the heaviest elements in the universe and discover the next new elements.
Financial Support was provided by the Office of High Energy and Nuclear Physics, Nuclear Physics Division, and by the Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Division of Chemical Sciences, Geosciences and Biosciences of the U.S. Department of Energy, under Contract No. DE-AC02-05CH11231
Bio: Jacklyn received her B.S. in chemistry from Westminster College in 2004 and her Ph.D. in nuclear chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley in 2008. She held a postdoctoral research position at the Technical University of Munich and the GSI Helmholtz Center for Heavy Ion Research before joining the Berkeley Lab staff in 2010. She is currently the group leader for the Heavy Element Group in the Nuclear Science Division at Berkeley Lab. Her interests are in studying the production, chemistry and nuclear structure of the heaviest elements.
Please RSVP by Thursday, March 6, 2025 to gshearerdgs@gmail.com. The Zoom link will be sent to you by Thursday evening, March 6, 2025.
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