Science

This Calculation Could Change The Periodic Table

Sabine Hossenfelder
Sabine Hossenfelder•Apr 17, 2026

Why It Matters

Understanding and eventually producing stable super‑heavy elements could unlock new materials with unique properties while confirming fundamental theories of nuclear structure.

Key Takeaways

  • •Physicists identify why certain super‑heavy nuclei are more stable.
  • •New top‑down calculation explains magic numbers via strong‑force symmetries.
  • •Island of stability may begin near element 120, extending lifetimes.
  • •Only three labs worldwide synthesize elements beyond oganesson (Z=118).
  • •Stabilized super‑heavy elements could enable novel materials and technologies.

Summary

The video examines a newly published paper that finally explains why some super‑heavy nuclei exhibit unexpected stability, bringing the long‑standing “island of stability” concept nearer to experimental reach.

The authors abandon phenomenological shell models in favor of a top‑down calculation grounded in the symmetries of the strong nuclear force. By isolating three‑nucleon interactions and their combined spin contributions, they reproduce known magic numbers and predict where the next energy‑gap – the next magic numbers – will appear.

References include oganesson (Z=118) as the heaviest confirmed element, the three specialized laboratories in Japan, Germany and Russia that create heavier nuclei, and the presenter’s tongue‑in‑cheek “0 out of 10 on the bullshit meter” rating, underscoring the paper’s credibility.

If the predicted island materializes, chemists could eventually work with truly stable super‑heavy elements, opening pathways to unprecedented materials and forcing a rewrite of the periodic table’s practical limits.

Original Description

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If it’s been a while since you’ve taken a chemistry class, you’re lucky – over time, the periodic table has been expanding as physicists produce brand-new atomic nuclei. But the thing about these nuclei is they’re extremely short-lived, sticking around for less than a nanosecond. Recently, though, physicists say they’ve figured out a calculation that should help researchers create new nuclei that are much more stable. Let’s take a look.
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Physicists are currently creating heavier atomic nuclei, which are typically short-lived. However, a long-standing prediction suggests that nuclei may become more stable at extreme masses, hinting at the existence of "magic numbers" for super-heavy elements. We're getting closer to the discovery of these stable, 'magic' nuclei, expanding our understanding of nuclear physics and element discovery.

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