Images Dated 6th November 2002

SHIP lab to detect chemical elements

SHIP atomic fusion equipment used for creating new chemical elements at the Society for Heavy Ion Research (GSI) at Darmstadt, Germany. SHIP (Separ- ator for Heavy Ion Reaction Products) collides a beam of fast heavy ions (in tube at right) from the UNILAC accelerator into a target inside a chamber (pink). The atomic nuclei undergo fusion reactions to form new elements & forms (isotopes) of other elements. These pass through a fragment separator to a detector for identification. These elements & isotopes allow studies of the forces binding nuclei together. A GSI team led by Peter Armbruster discovered the 6 heaviest-known elements (107 to 112) during 1981-96. Photographed in 1997

© DAVID PARKER/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY