1900: A physics genius wandering around Europe

Chapter 693 A New Model of the Atomic Nucleus! Magic Number Rules! Island of Stability Theory! Donating Elements! A Shocking Entire Audience!
Inside the main hall of the venue.

Fermi walked onto the stage, looked at the more than one hundred people in front of him, and felt a great sense of accomplishment.

Even if he were a genius, he wouldn't be considered among the top in the field of theoretical physics.

However, in the field of experimental physics, he has already reached the pinnacle.

Even so, Fermi remained very low-key.

He knew very well that in the world of physics, he was just a baby who had just learned to walk.

"Thank you all for attending the First International Conference on Nuclear Physics."

"I say it's the first one because Professor Bruce wrote to me asking me to advocate for the continuation of this conference."

"Because the trend of physics development is toward greater precision and detail."

"Modern physics has been developing for nearly 30 years. Although its framework consists of only relativity and quantum mechanics, it has given rise to many branches."

“Each branch deserves to be studied in greater depth.”

"Nuclear physics, as a branch of physics that specifically studies the atomic nucleus, is of paramount importance."

"Whether it is the strong force, the weak force, or transuranium, their essence is related to the properties of the atomic nucleus."

"Once we figure out the secrets of the atomic nucleus, we can have a deeper understanding of these issues."

Wow!
Everyone applauded.

Fermi's opening remarks were simple and concise, highlighting the importance of nuclear physics in the field of physics.

"The meeting is now officially open!"

According to the meeting agenda, the theoretical physicists were the first to speak.

Bohr was the first to take the stage.

As Rigdwell's most senior disciple, Bohr was the one with the highest status present.

"My presentation today is about droplet models."

"As research into the atomic nucleus deepens, the need to develop models that can describe the properties of the atomic nucleus has become urgent."

"Currently, in addition to my droplet model, some other models have emerged."

"However, these models can often only explain one aspect of the problem."

"For example, my droplet model cannot explain beta decay."

"Therefore, I believe that the nuclear model needs further in-depth research."

"Of course, the more important reason is that there seems to be more and more experimental results indicating that there are problems with my droplet model."

"I'm worried that the model will be proven wrong after today's meeting."

"But it's okay, I've missed out on so many times already."

Everyone burst into knowing laughter.

Bohr's humor vividly illustrates the recent phenomenon of neutron bombardment of uranium.

But instead of mocking him, people respected him even more.

As the first person to study the atomic nucleus model, Bohr's work was of paramount importance.

Based on his work, various new models emerged.

Next, Bohr systematically elaborated on his droplet model theory.

After the speech, a woman suddenly asked a question.

"Professor Bohr, hello."

“I am Mayer, and I am currently Professor Born’s doctoral student.”

"I've always had a question about the nuclear model that I'd like to ask you."

Fermi looked at Meyer and a smile appeared on his face.

The other party was a close friend he met while studying under Born; she was a very intelligent female scholar.

Since her research topic was also related to the atomic nucleus, Fermi invited her to participate.

Maye was one of only two women present besides Elena and Maitner, making her stand out among the group of men.

Elena even pulled her to her side.

Upon hearing this, Bohr very politely replied:

"Please speak, Ms. Mayer."

Mayer asked:
"When I was sorting through the nuclei of some highly abundant isotopes, I discovered a strange phenomenon."

“那就是当质子或者中子的数目是2、8、20、28、50这些数字时，它的原子核就非常稳定。”

What could be the reason for this?

Wow!
Everyone was completely dumbfounded after hearing this.

"What's happening here?"

Bohr was also completely baffled, not understanding what the other person meant by that statement.

So, he said:

"Ms. Mayer, could you come up here and demonstrate your problem with a diagram?"

Upon hearing this, Mayer walked forward confidently.

Soon, everyone understood what she meant.

It turns out that after studying the stability of many elements, Mayer discovered a pattern.

That is, as long as the number of protons or neutrons in a certain atomic nucleus, or the total number of protons and neutrons, is equal to the numbers she proposed, it will be particularly stable.

The diagram makes it clear at a glance.

Bohr exclaimed in surprise:
"This angle is truly unheard of."

"But it's very interesting."

After everyone understood, they couldn't help but sigh:
"I'm afraid only a lady could be so meticulous."

Bohr looked at the diagram, rested his chin on his right hand, and fell into deep thought.

However, in the end, he said helplessly:

“I’m sorry, Ms. Mayer, I cannot answer your question.”

"I think it might involve a completely new theory!"

Wow!
Everyone was shocked!
No one expected Professor Bohr to have such a high opinion of this issue.

At this moment, Mayer said with a smile:

"Actually, I have my own idea."

"I call these numbers 'magic numbers,' and based on this, I proposed the 'shell structure' of the atomic nucleus."

"I believe that the atomic nucleus, like the electron, is also arranged in a shell structure."

"The atomic nucleus is like a dance floor, and protons and neutrons are the dancers. They tend to form pairs, and the dancers themselves are rotating. A pair of dancers is also rotating around the center of the dance floor, which has multiple large circles inside."

"This is the shell model."

"A stable shell can only be formed when the number of protons and neutrons is a magic number."

Wow!
Mayer's eloquent narration deeply impressed everyone.

Indeed, one should not underestimate the heroes of the world.

Who would have thought that an ordinary-looking female researcher could come up with such an amazing theory?

In real history, Mayer won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1963 for proposing the shell model of the atomic nucleus.

In addition, Seaborg proposed the famous "island of stability" theory based on the magic numbers proposed by Meyer.

The thought process behind this theory is also quite simple.

Seaborg plotted the three parameters—proton number, neutron number, and nuclear stability—on the xyz coordinate system.

He discovered that the stable isotopes resembled a small island in a three-dimensional coordinate system.

Following this model, he discovered that the number of protons at the very edge of the island should be 126.

Therefore, he believed that the last element in the periodic table should be element number 126.

Otherwise, the element would not exist because it does not satisfy the magic number condition.

Of course, this theory has not been proven and is more of an empirical theory.

However, at least among the known elements, the island stability theory does not have any major problems.

At this point, Mayer's shell model was still relatively simple.

However, Bohr and other big names had already seen its extraordinary nature.

He looked at Mayer with surprise and said:

"Oh, what a wonderful idea!"

“This is the most interesting model of the atomic nucleus I have ever seen.” “Ms. Mayer, I hope to have a more in-depth discussion with you after we go down.”

Mayer was very happy to hear Bohr's praise.

She felt her own worth.

Seeing this, Fermi looked delighted.

With such a brilliant opening, the meeting is already halfway to success.

Bohr's speech ended quickly.

Heisenberg, Pauli, Dirac and others took to the field one after another.

They considered the issues related to the atomic nucleus from a theoretical perspective.

Finally, Heisenberg mentioned some ideas about the weak forces.

"Whether it is electromagnetic force, strong force, or even gravity, there are at least two or more objects interacting with each other."

"Therefore, the corresponding quantum field theory can be constructed by exchanging particles."

"Quantum electrodynamics and meson theory are both based on this idea."

"But the weak force is very special."

"During its decay, only neutrons are involved. How does it exchange particles?"

"Therefore, the weak force may require a different approach based on quantum field theory."

Wow!
Everyone nodded.

As research progresses, people are increasingly discovering the unique characteristics of weak forces.

According to the latest conjecture, the essence of beta decay is that a neutron transforms into a proton, an electron, and a neutrino.

How do we exchange the mesons?
Furthermore, the latest muon decay and π meson decay reveal the unique nature of the weak force.

The experts present knew very well that once the weak force problem was solved, the discipline of radiology could be declared obsolete.

Physicists can theoretically predict radioactive outcomes based on the theory of weak forces.

From this perspective, the significance of weak force is greater than that of strong force.

Therefore, the weak force is currently a hot topic in theoretical physics.

Soon, the morning's presentations came to an end, and the theoretical reporting section of the conference also concluded.

The experimental part will begin in the afternoon.

The first to take the stage was Yu Yin.

As a recently popular experimental expert, Yu Yinzhi's name resounds throughout the physics community.

He not only discovered the neutron, but also became the first person to artificially synthesize an element.

Both of these works are absolutely Nobel Prize-worthy.

Some even predict that Yu Yin may become the second superstar, after Professor Bruce, to win three Nobel Prizes.

This demonstrates its status!
In a corner of the audience, Taylor looked at the figure on the stage with envy.

Moreover, he suddenly felt a stirring in his heart, as if the two of them would form some kind of bond in the future.

Their names will represent a certain era.

Yu Yin said:

"My topic for today's speech is element number 43, the metal disc."

“As early as when Professor Mendeleev established the periodic table, he predicted the existence of element number 43.”

"After that, many chemists claimed to have found this element in the ore."

"But later results proved that none of them were element 43."

"After I prepared element 43 using artificial nuclear fusion, I also analyzed ores from all over the world and found that they contained no element 43 at all."

"I even wondered at one point: Could it be that element 43 doesn't exist naturally?"

"If that's the case, it's incredible!"

Wow!
Everyone was shocked!
Artificially synthesized elements and naturally occurring elements do not conflict.

Elements that exist naturally can be synthesized artificially; elements that do not exist naturally can also be synthesized artificially.

The former is element 43, and the latter is transuranic element.

If element 43 does not exist naturally, that would be absolutely huge news.

At this moment, Yu Yin continued:
"However, a single sentence from my teacher, Professor Bruce, enlightened me."

"Just because something doesn't exist on Earth doesn't mean it doesn't exist in the universe."

"It suddenly dawned on me."

"I obtained many stellar spectra from Yu Qingsong, and through careful searching and comparison, I finally discovered the spectrum of element 43."

"This also proves that this element exists naturally!"

Wow!
Everyone was shocked!

Who could have imagined it would end like this?

Mendeleev knew about element 43 decades ago, but so many people couldn't find it.

The reason is that it simply doesn't exist on Earth.

This is so dramatic.

"Element 43 was named 'Gold Disc' by Professor Bruce."

"This is to commemorate a great god in our Chinese civilization named Pangu."

"His position in China is similar to that of Jesus Christ in Christianity."

"After careful consideration, we have decided that the English name for the metal plate is 'Panguium,' with the symbol 'Pg.'"

In English, the suffix -ium means "element," which has become a conventional rule for naming elements.

Finally, Yu Yin dropped a bombshell.

"Currently, only the Borneo Atomic Institute can produce the [metal disk] element using a cyclotron."

"However, this preparation method is very energy-intensive, and currently only 10g has been produced."

"To acknowledge Borneo's contribution to science, Professor Bruce has decided to donate 5g of metal discs to both the physics and chemistry communities for the purpose of studying their properties."

"I have brought the samples over. The donation ceremony will be completed through the International Union of Physics and the International Union of Chemistry, and the samples will be kept in custody by the Unions."

"At that time, if any country needs it, it can obtain it through an application process."

boom!
The whole audience was shocked!

Everyone admired Professor Bruce's magnanimity.

There is so much to study about the physical and chemical properties of a new element.

This is similar to the story of Marie Curie donating radium.

At that moment, everyone felt the same way:

"Chinese science is unstoppable."

"Thirty years ago, that place was still a desert; but thirty years later, science can no longer be separated from China."

Fermi was deeply moved amidst the enthusiastic applause from the crowd.

Professor Bruce's action was not only for the benefit of the world, but also made the conference even more perfect.

His determination to go to Borneo only strengthened.

"That is my sanctuary!"

Yu Yin's speech brought the atmosphere of the meeting to a climax.

Next, several more experimental physicists took the stage to share their insights.

Even after the meeting ended, everyone was still reluctant to leave.

At this moment, Fermi walked onto the stage, smiling, and said:

Thank you all for your excellent presentations!

"Special thanks to Professor Bruce for his great support."

"According to the meeting rules, tomorrow will be a special session on transuranic elements."

"All the speakers' topics were related to transuranic elements."

"Please stay tuned!"

Wow!
Everyone looked excited.

The main event is finally here!

(End of this chapter)