Handwavium and other precious elements

[Khatti]

The next question is a little more esoteric: is it likely that there are any elements out there that we haven't discovered yet? Does anyone have any thoughts on how Dark Matter might figure into the question I've asked? Again, the mining world idea applies. Feel free to speculate on this subject...liberally.

 

[Drakkith]

The next question is a little more esoteric: is it likely that there are any elements out there that we haven't discovered yet?

No, it's very unlikely. The nuclear structure of the first 118 elements are known, and no element beyond 82 (lead) has a stable isotope. In general, the further up the list you go, the more unstable and short-lived the elements become. Current understanding of nuclear physics tells us that we should not expect any stable elements, as the repulsive force from adding more and more protons into a nucleus simply becomes dominant over the strong force once you get beyond lead.

Does anyone have any thoughts on how Dark Matter might figure into the question I've asked?

Dark matter cannot be an 'element', as it does not participate in the strong, weak, or electromagnetic interactions, and thus has no way to bind itself together to form complex structures like quarks and electrons (the building blocks of every element) can.

Feel free to speculate on this subject...liberally.

A rip in the universe occurs, allowing exotic matter through. This exotic matter obeys different laws of physics, so you can do whatever you need it to do.

 

[snorkack]

No, it's very unlikely. The nuclear structure of the first 118 elements are known, and no element beyond 82 (lead) has a stable isotope. In general, the further up the list you go, the more unstable and short-lived the elements become. Current understanding of nuclear physics tells us that we should not expect any stable elements, as the repulsive force from adding more and more protons into a nucleus simply becomes dominant over the strong force once you get beyond lead.

No element beyond 99 (einsteinium) has beta radioactive isotopes. The neutron rich isotopes of elements from 100 to 118 are unknown and therefore we do not know how stable they might be.

Isotopes that were stable or with half-lives over hundreds of millions of years might show up in nature if they had efficient formation mechanisms.

 

[Vanadium 50]

is it likely that there are any elements out there that we haven't discovered yet?

Dilithium, cavorite, kryptonite, feminum, mithril...

Seriously, no, we have found all the stable elements left to find. Anything new will be radioactive and short-lived.

 

[Khatti]

A rip in the universe occurs, allowing exotic matter through. This exotic matter obeys different laws of physics, so you can do whatever you need it to do.

I have a whole series based on this thought, thanks though.

 

[Nik_2213]

IIRC, the hoped-for 'Island of Stability' circa 'Element#120' was lost to 'second order' effects when that region was approached. Sadly, 'relativistic corrections' broke the simple 'shell' model with its neat 'magic and double-magic numbers'. Finding many heavy nucleii have internal structure resembling grumpy 'extended family' gatherings is, um, unsettling. There may be some natural stability further along, but seems increasingly unlikely...

Against that, with pentaquarks and their kin showing up, however briefly, 'Dark Matter' exasperating both researchers and theorists, neutrinos being neutrinos being neutrinos, oddities surrounding proton size, quark & electron charges etc etc, something game-changing may yet emerge.

One 'joker' would be synthetic elements or meta-elements crafted and stabilised by future physics that would be Clarke-Law 'magic' to us 'Pre-Handwavium' primitives...

Take Care Out There, the universe is stranger and more wonderful than we can imagine...

 

[snorkack]

Against that, with pentaquarks and their kin showing up, however briefly, 'Dark Matter' exasperating both researchers and theorists, neutrinos being neutrinos being neutrinos, oddities surrounding proton size, quark & electron charges etc etc, something game-changing may yet emerge.

One 'joker' would be synthetic elements or meta-elements crafted and stabilised by future physics that would be Clarke-Law 'magic' to us 'Pre-Handwavium' primitives...

Yes. What do you think does scrith behave like?

 

[jtbell]

Dilithium, cavorite, kryptonite, feminum, mithril...

administratium...

 

[sysprog]

meanwhile, I just got this new processor with 2 new long-sought- after instructions: EXPI and DWIM.

Spoiler

'execute programmer intent', and 'do what I mean'.

unfortunately, the microcode is proprietary ...

 

[Tom.G]

unfortunately, the microcode is proprietary ...

For a touch of non-fiction, I understand that for sufficient money the Chinese (and probably others) can and do reverse engineer chips down to at least the gate level.

(Anyone up for a crowd-funding approach?)

 

[mfb]

Dark matter cannot be an 'element', as it does not participate in the strong, weak, or electromagnetic interactions, and thus has no way to bind itself together to form complex structures like quarks and electrons (the building blocks of every element) can.

It is expected that dark matter interacts via the weak interaction.
It could also have some additional interaction(s) limited to dark matter. But it cannot form elements, as that would require protons and neutrons.

No element beyond 99 (einsteinium) has beta radioactive isotopes. The neutron rich isotopes of elements from 100 to 118 are unknown and therefore we do not know how stable they might be.

There are certainly nuclides that can undergo beta decay, alpha is just more common and easier to detect.

 

[snorkack]

It is expected that dark matter interacts via the weak interaction.
It could also have some additional interaction(s) limited to dark matter. But it cannot form elements, as that would require protons and neutrons.

No, it doesn´ t. All that is necessary for chemical elements is point integer positive charge. For up to 100+, this would give only weird isotopes of known elements, though.
What are chemical properties of nuclei with fractional charges? You cannot neutralize +2/3. Yet there would be shell structure of electrons - an ion with nuclear charge +2/3 would be quite unlike an ion with nuclear charge +277/3...

 

[mfb]

All that is necessary for chemical elements is point integer positive charge.

Following that definition a W+ boson is hydrogen, but anti-hydrogen is not any element?
Nonsense.

 

[essenmein]

The next question is a little more esoteric: is it likely that there are any elements out there that we haven't discovered yet? Does anyone have any thoughts on how Dark Matter might figure into the question I've asked? Again, the mining world idea applies. Feel free to speculate on this subject...liberally.

Like others have said, entirely new elements that exist in environments that we can tolerate are highly unlikely.

However we do know under extreme conditions things behave very differently, eg above ~400GPa hydrogen is theorized to behave like a metal, so lots off possibilities there, eg let's say you have control over gravity, you could extrapolate that to allow you to compress Iron to allow higher magnetic flux densities for cool rail guns.

Then consider all the work being done in the material sciences, eg complex metal alloys etc, to assume we have understood all the possible material properties that arise from complicated compounds or alloys is naive.

So new elements are less plausible but magic metal alloy #18 might give us vibranium.

 

[snorkack]

Following that definition a W+ boson is hydrogen, but anti-hydrogen is not any element?
Nonsense.

Well, antiproton would not, by electric interaction, form bound systems with negatrons the way W+ boson would...

 

[Drakkith]

It is expected that dark matter interacts via the weak interaction.

Hmm. This is news to me.