It is here that six new superheavy elements were invented, filling six gaps in the periodic table of chemical elements. This remarkable achievement also captivated the admiration and inspired the writer of this article…
GSI (German Research Center for Heavy Ion Physics) is one of the largest scientific centers in the Federal Republic of Germany.
Starting with a heavy ion accelerator, GSI has become a major scientific research hub over nearly half a century, not just for Germany but for the entire world.
It is here that six new superheavy elements were discovered, filling six gaps in the periodic table of chemical elements. This event has positioned GSI alongside other top research centers globally, such as the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (USA), the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (Russia), and the RIKEN Institute (Japan).
This extraordinary achievement has also attracted the admiration and footsteps of the author of this article…
“A Sanctuary of Passion”
The GSI center is located in the northern part of Darmstadt, in the state of Hesse, Germany, about a 20-minute drive southwest of my residence. Leaving the highway behind, a small, straight, and quiet road takes me into a vast forest.
Suddenly, square buildings come into view, a world-class research center nestled within the tranquil woods. In the autumn, vibrant patches of yellow and red leaves blend with the expanse of greenish-purple foliage that changes colors daily. In the distance, smooth green meadows gently undulate along the hills.
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Outside the GSI scientific center. (Photo: TTM) |
The marvelous nature and serene atmosphere… Anyone who has ventured into the realm of scientific exploration will deeply feel how essential this “scientific sanctuary” and its atmosphere are for creative labor.
This nature evokes memories of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna, from forty years ago, which was the most significant period in my scientific life. I recall images of laboratories, “giant” accelerators, and a modern reactor… hidden among the towering birch trees by the Volga River.
This environment also recalls the RIKEN Institute, located north of Tokyo. In spring, during April, the cherry blossoms bloom brightly, making the scientific space of RIKEN even more radiant and particularly appealing.
The tranquility during working hours at GSI, as well as at other scientific centers like Dubna and RIKEN, is so profound that it is hard to imagine that thousands of people are passionately engaged with experimental equipment, planning new projects, or discussing intriguing scientific results in those massive buildings.
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At the entrance of GSI. (Photo: TTM) |
Behind the gates of GSI, there are about 1,050 permanent staff working, including 300 researchers and engineers. Additionally, about 1,200 people, including 200 PhD and graduate students, come from universities and research institutes in Germany and various countries around the world.
The funding for GSI’s operations comes from the German federal government (90%) and the state government of Hesse (10%). The annual operating budget is approximately 85 million Euros.
This year, GSI celebrates its 40th anniversary (established in 1969). The German scientific community has the opportunity to reflect on the achievements over the past 40 years and plan for even bigger projects ahead.
From Fundamental Particles to the Vast Universe
Over its 40-year development path, GSI has achieved remarkable scientific milestones.
Since its establishment, GSI has focused on heavy ion acceleration technology.
So, what are heavy ions? They are atoms such as H, He, Ca, Au, Pb… or very heavy ones like U, that have lost some outer-shell electrons, becoming positively charged ions. Due to their charge, they can be gathered into a beam and accelerated in the electromagnetic field of an accelerator to reach high speeds.
GSI built and put into operation, as early as the 1960s, a system for accelerating ion particles. This includes the linear accelerator UNILAC, which is 120 meters long and allows acceleration to speeds of about 20% of the speed of light.
Additionally, there is a circular accelerator called SIS, with a circumference of 216 meters, which produces heavy ion beams traveling at 90% of the speed of light after completing hundreds of thousands of revolutions.
Thanks to the aforementioned accelerators and many other modern supporting devices, research at GSI spans a wide spectrum, from basic research to applied research, exploring properties and movement laws of fundamental particles such as quarks, which are smaller than 10-18 meters, to understanding the formation of the vast universe and galaxies measured in millions of light-years.
Among these, the most notable achievement is the discovery of new elements. Dr. Dieter Ackermann, who has been involved in significant research in this field, took me on a tour of the research facilities and introduced me to GSI’s discoveries.
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Dr. D. Ackermann introduces the laboratory. (Photo: TTM) |
Scientifically, the search for new elements is highly significant and captivating. Chemical elements are formed in stars and during cosmic explosions, constituting the fundamental components of the material world around us, including the Earth and the human body. However, some elements exist in the universe but have yet to be found on Earth.
Scientists at GSI have discovered and created some of these elements in the laboratory by bombarding high-speed heavy ion particles (projectiles) onto targets made from various materials. During this process, two atoms (the projectile and the target) combine to form a new, heavier nucleus.
Using this method, GSI has discovered six new superheavy elements over the past 25 years: Bohrium (107), Hassium (108), Meitnerium (109), Darmstadtium (110), Roentgenium, and the latest element, 112.
If the ions are accelerated to very high energies, the bombarded nuclei will “boil” and break apart into several fragments. This phenomenon allows for the study of a plasma environment consisting of quark-gluon particles, a form of matter that existed briefly after the Big Bang.
Physicist Dr. Peter Egelhof, who has been at GSI since its early days and is also a professor at a university in Mainz, welcomed me and introduced the research results on nuclear reactions and structures obtained from heavy ion beams recently, along with plans for future projects.
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Prof. P. Egelhof in his office. (Photo: TTM) |
In addition to basic research areas, heavy ion beams can be used in applied research, especially in the field of biomedicine.
Heavy ions can cause very special physical and biological effects on body tissues. Therefore, cancerous tumors can be easily destroyed while preserving adjacent healthy cells. This method is particularly effective for brain and neck cancers.
With this ion beam cancer treatment method, GSI is one of the pioneers in the world in this field. After many years of trials and treatments, a cancer treatment center using ion beams has now been established in Heidelberg with technical support from GSI. It is expected that the number of patients treated could exceed 1,000 annually.
The GSI research center has extensive relationships with the global scientific community, collaborating with hundreds of research institutes in approximately 50 countries.
Vietnam has previously sent several skilled physicists here to work on research projects in experimental and theoretical nuclear physics, and is currently sending young researchers for training.
For scientific fields that our country has not yet developed or invested in, this is the most effective and appropriate direction for training human resources.
