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Scientists Found a Strange New Material Born in the Fireball of the Hiroshima Atomic Bomb
Yahoo • • science
Key Points:
- Researchers have discovered a new metal alloy formed from industrial materials melted and fused by the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945, found within particles called hiroshimaites.
- The alloy exhibits a nearly quasicrystal structure, a highly organized but non-repeating pattern, which likely crystallized as metallic vapors in the bomb's fireball rapidly cooled.
- This discovery is similar to the quasicrystal found in trinitite, glassy debris from the Trinity atomic bomb test, showing that nuclear detonations can create unique metallic phases under extreme conditions.
- These materials, formed under rapid cooling and intense heat, provide valuable natural laboratories for studying alloy nucleation and have potential applications in nuclear forensics and materials science.
- The findings highlight the importance of ethically managed scientific studies of blast-derived materials to better understand nuclear events and explore new alloy structures for future research.
