In a major scientific breakthrough, Chinese researchers have created a brand-new type of atomic nucleus never seen before—protactinium-210.
This new isotope is the most neutron-deficient version of the element protactinium ever made, making it extremely rare and unstable.
The discovery, published in Nature Communications, opens a new chapter in the study of nuclear physics and the building blocks of matter.
Atoms are made up of protons and neutrons at their core, called the nucleus. Different combinations of these particles create different versions of an element, known as isotopes.
Scientists have long been exploring new isotopes to better understand the structure and limits of atomic nuclei, which can reveal deep insights into the forces that hold matter together.
While experts believe there are around 7,000 possible isotopes in nature, only about 3,300 have been produced and observed in laboratories so far.
Creating new ones, especially those with very few neutrons, is incredibly difficult. These types of isotopes usually live for only a tiny fraction of a second and are made in extremely small amounts.
That’s what makes the creation of protactinium-210 so exciting. It was synthesized at the China Accelerator Facility for Superheavy Elements (CAFE2) by firing a beam of calcium-40 atoms at a target made of lutetium-175.
This powerful collision caused a rare fusion reaction, producing protactinium-210. The research team then used a special tool called SHANS2 (Spectrometer for Heavy Atoms and Nuclear Structure-2) to detect and identify the new isotope.
Even though only about 7 picobarns of protactinium-210 were produced—a picobarn is an incredibly tiny unit used to measure reaction likelihoods—the scientists were able to detect 23 successful decay events.
They studied how the new isotope undergoes alpha decay, a common type of radioactive breakdown, and found the results matched well with existing theoretical predictions.
According to the lead researcher, Associate Professor Zhang Mingming from the Institute of Modern Physics (IMP), this discovery proves that their experimental setup is strong enough to continue pushing the boundaries of nuclear science. The work also demonstrates China’s growing role in the search for new, exotic elements and isotopes.
Professor Ma Long, a senior scientist on the project, noted that this success paves the way for future experiments aiming to create even heavier and rarer elements. The research involved collaboration between several leading institutions across China, including the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Shandong University.
