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Top Comments: Are Ultradense Asteroids Made from Superheavy Elements Yet to Be Discovered? [1]

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Date: 2023-10-15  

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There are asteroids in the solar system called compact ultra dense objects, or CUDOs. Their inferred densities are significantly beyond those of any substance known on Earth, and it leaves one to wonder what they might be made of. For example, the density of the asteroid 33 Polyhymnia has been determined to be 75 grams per cubic centimeter (g cm-3), much denser than the densest stable element, osmium (element 76), with a density of 22.6 g cm-3. Keeping in mind that there might be an error in the calculation of 33 Polyhymnia’s density, asking what kind of matter CUDOs are made of is still a pertinent question. One possible answer could be chemical elements beyond what is known in the periodic table. Because such elements have more of the heavy (for a stable elementary particle) protons and neutrons in their nuclei, they can pack more mass in a smaller volume. The principal problem with this hypothesis, of course, is that no element beyond Bismuth (atomic number 83) has been found to be stable (i. e. no nuclear decay resulting in another, lighter element). The hypothesis that CUDOs are made up of stable ultra heavy elements that have not yet been discovered depends on another hypothesis being correct: the island of stability, which I have written about before. Based on the shell model for the nucleus, there are predictions that certain elements beyond the known stable ones, for particular isotopes, will have sufficiently long half-lives that they can be regarded as stable. So researchers studied the properties of a number of such isotopes using a simple-to-use, but imprecise method called the Thomas-Fermi model. The results:

"However, elements in the other theoretical island of nuclear stability near Z = 164, which we predict to populate mass density values between 36.0 and 68.4 g/cm3, are reasonable candidates," the team wrote. "If some significant part of the asteroid were made of these superheavy metals, it is plausible that the higher mass density could be near the experimentally measured value."

So it’s a possibility, but first, we have to verify that there is an actual island of stability, and that is quite another kettle of fish.

Comments are below the fold.

Top Comments (October 15, 2023):

From eyesoars:

Jakebob's comment on Matt Gaetz ousting Kevin McCarthy, IMO, deserves a tip for top comment. From grammarcop’s recommended post on how McCarthy’s grand strategy aimed at blaming Democrats for a government shutdown royally backfired.

Highlighted by happy camper:

This comment by JohnB47, in MikePhoenix’s recommended post on possible compromise in speaker’s race.

Top Mojo (October 14, 2023):

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