Berrylium Berrylium Berrylium Berrylium Berrylium Berrylium

Berrylium is cool

But Berrylium is also making me bored

http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/38116

Lasers Take a Measure of Halo Nucleus

http://images.iop.org/objects/physic...3/3/4/halo.jpg

Physicists in Europe and North America have measured the radius of an unusual beryllium isotope containing a single neutron a long way from the rest of the nuclear core. Although the radii of other such "halo" isotopes have been determined before, this is the first time that the measurement has been made on a nucleus with just a single halo neutron. The researchers found that the halo neutron in beryllium–11 is, on average, about 7 fm (7 x 10-15 m ) from the nuclear core, which itself has a radius of about 2.5 fm.

First discovered in 1985, halo nuclei have a conventional nuclear core plus one or more halo neutrons that spend much of their time a relatively long distance away. The lithium–11 halo nucleus, for example, has about the same diameter as the much more massive uranium nucleus. The reason such nuclei are so large is that the energy that binds halo neutrons to the core is only 100 keV — roughly a tenth of the energy tying neutrons in a conventional nucleus.

But measuring the size of halo nuclei has proven tricky because the nuclei are very short lived — and because they have no electrical charge, the halo neutrons do not interact readily with experimental probes.
Blur of positive charge

The best measurements have involved studying the tiny "volume" shift — of about one part in a billion — of the energy levels of the electrons that are bound to a halo nucleus in an atom or ion. This shift occurs because the halo neutron and the core orbit each other and their relative motion makes the core appear as a blur of positive charge to the electrons. This, for example, means that the electron energy levels of a beryllium atom containing the halo nucleus beryllium–11 are shifted slightly compared to atoms containing the more conventional nuclei beryllium–7, beryllium–9 or beryllium–10.

The volume shift can then be used to calculate the radius of the blur of positive charge, which can then be used to calculate the average separation between the halo and core.

While physicists have already managed to measure this shift in helium and lithium halo isotopes, experiments on beryllium–11 nuclei are further complicated because beryllium has four electrons.

It turns out that electron energy levels are also affected by “mass shifts” that are caused, in part, by interactions between the nucleus and the correlated motion of the electrons. These mass shifts are about 1000 times larger than the volume shift and become increasingly difficult to calculate as the number of electrons increases. The problem is simplified somewhat by studying Be+ ions, which only has three electrons.
Measurements and calculations

The new study was carried out at the ISOLDE facility at CERN by Wilfried Nörtershäuser at the University of Mainz and colleagues in Germany, Canada and Switzerland (Phys. Rev. Lett. 102 062503).

The experiment involved producing four different isotopes of beryllium (with 7, 9 10 and 11 nucleons) by firing a 1.4 GeV proton beam into a uranium-carbide target. This created beryllium atoms, which were then ionized using a laser and accelerated to 50 kV. Transitions in electron energy levels were induced by firing two ultraviolet laser beams at the ions. One beam was fired straight at the oncoming ions, while the other was fired in the opposite direction from behind the ions to cancel out the experimental uncertainty in the kinetic energy of the ions.

Some of the laser light is absorbed by the beryllium's electrons, which jump to a higher energy level. As the electrons fall back down, they emit light at the same wavelength as the laser through the process of "resonance fluorescence". However, the wavelength of the light absorbed and then emitted by the halo isotope beryllium–11 differs very slightly from the light emitted from conventional beryllium isotopes — the difference being due to the isotope shift, which is the sum of the mass and volume shifts.

The team determined this tiny shift by using a device called a frequency comb, which is capable of making a very accurate measurement of the laser’s wavelength. By comparing the resonant wavelengths of beryllium–11 with the other beryllium isotopes — and then correcting for the mass shift — the team worked out the volume shift. This allowed them to conclude that the halo neutron is about 7 fm from the nuclear core. The core itself has a radius of about 2.5 fm.
Improving mathematical models

“The halo neutron is thus much farther from the other nucleons than would be permissible according to the effective range of strong nuclear forces in the classical model”, explained Nörtershäuser. “The result can now be used by nuclear physicists to improve their mathematical models of nuclei”, he said

Jim Al-Khalili at the University of Surrey in the UK told physicsworld.com, “These measurements tell us quite clearly that the core of the halo nucleus beryllium–11 (namely, beryllium–10) is more tightly packed together than a much lighter nucleus like beryllium–7.” He added. “We learn a lot about the core within the halo with this work, and indirectly we can test our theoretical models of how the halo particles interact with the core”.

About the author
Hamish Johnston is editor of physicsworld.com

http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking...ry_349372.html

March 12, 2009
'Peking Man' could be older

HONG KONG - A NEW and more accurate dating method shows Peking Man may be 200,000 years older than what experts previously thought, researchers in China said.

The bones of 'Sinanthropus pekinensis", a Homo erectus commonly known as Peking Man, were discovered in the 1920s during cave excavations in Zhoukoudian, near Beijing and believed to be 750,000 years old.

The new date may help experts understand when migration into Asia took place, the researchers led by Guanjun Shen of China's Nanjing Normal University wrote in an article in Nature.

Scientists have used various techniques to try and date the fossils, but a lack of suitable methods for cave deposits has limited their accuracy.

Shen and his colleagues used a relatively new method that examines the radioactive decay of aluminium and beryllium in quartz grains, which enabled them to get a more precise age for the fossils.

'The analysis dated the finds to around 750,000 years old, some 200,000 years older than previous estimates and indicates a hominin presence in the area through glacial and interglacial cycles.

'The results should help to build a more reliable chronology of human evolution in East Asia,' the researchers wrote.

The cave site in Zhoukoudian has yielded the remains of at least 40 individuals and is the largest single source of Homo erectus fossils in the world. -- Reuters

http://www.straitstimes.com/STI/STIM...312/peking.jpg
The reconstructed face of Peking Man, is on display at the museum near the historic Zhoukoudian caves. -- PHOTO: ZHOUKOUDIAN DISTRICT GOVT PUBLI

http://www.stuff.co.nz/opinion/colum...and-crook-kids

Crops, crystals and crook kids
WORLD OF SCIENCE - BOB BROCKIE - The Dominion Post

Last month's scientific journals are full of interesting stuff you may not have heard about:

More GM Crops: Despite claims to the contrary, more and more genetically modified crops are being planted globally every year. Last year planting grew by more than 9 per cent to 125 million hectares. The United States, with 62 million hectares planted, contributed half of the total, but 14 other countries grew GM crops. Egypt, Burkina Faso and Bolivia planted GM crops (cotton and soya beans) for the first time.

A few benighted countries such as Hungary, Greece, Austria and New Zealand, in thrall to Greenie scaremongers, still oppose GM crops of any kind, but public opposition to them is falling. In Europe, opposition has slipped from 70 per cent to 58 per cent.

Chinese crystals: A laboratory in Beijing is the world's only source of a fabulously valuable crystal called potassium beryllium fluoroborate. A host of scientists outside China desperately wants these crystals for advanced research into lasers, computer chips and superconductors, but the Chinese say no. They need them for their own research.

A Dr Chen leads a team of Chinese scientists who grow these crystals in large ovens. It takes US$20,000 (NZ$39,900) and three months to make one. Last year they made 15 but this year they hope to grow 50.

The Chinese Government exploits its monopoly on these crystals for all the academic and commercial advantage it can get, and has given the lab US$26 million to speed up its production.

China has a great depth of crystal-growing know-how based on decades of tedious, large-scale, labour- intensive trial and error research.

We've nothing like this in the West, where research on growing crystals has fallen out of fashion. Apart from that, the crystals contain beryllium, which, if inhaled can cause pneumonia and cancer, so has been banned from many American labs. It would take Western scientists a decade to catch up.

Better scans: Swiss scientists have come up with a vastly improved medical scanning machine.

Their new MRI scanner is much more sensitive than earlier models, is cheaper to build, gives clearer images, and makes scanning more comfortable for patients because it's far less claustrophobic to lie down in.

The Swiss had a radical rethink, replacing the innumerable crowded, expensive electrical coils inside the old machines with a remote antenna outside their new "travelling wave" contraption.

Sabotaged immune systems: Seems that our immune systems can be compromised for life during our childhood years.

Scientists studying physically abused American kids and babies who were brought up in grim Romanian and Russian orphanages found their immune systems remain weakened for life.

Long after these children have been adopted into benevolent foster-family homes, their immune systems remain poor, and as adults they are more susceptible to infections such as herpes (cold sores). The researchers affirm the view that children need solicitous parenting to ensure not only their emotional and mental well-being but also to tune up their immune systems.

Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium Beryllium

Beryllium is yummy

Ya ****in beryllium freak.

Screw Beryllium... It frightens me.

Beryllium Pie
Beryllium Stew
Beryllium Sandwich
Beryllium Pizza
Beryllium crusted flank steak
Beryllium Applesauce
Beryllium canned peaches
Beryllium Stew
Beryllium **** I already did that one
Beryllium Sandwich
Beryllium Hamburger
Beryllium Hot Dog
Beryllium Chili-Mac
Beryllium fused barbecue sauce slathered on Beryllium roasted burnt-ends
Beryllium dip mix
Beryllium pickled eggs

Isn't that what kills the zombies in the the new Metallica video?

isn't that barium?