Ballotechnics is a controversial field of nuclear physics that studies reactions where a high-energy nuclear isomer transitions to a ground state, releasing only gamma rays. While some have claimed success in inducing gamma release, the field is considered pseudoscientific. However, stable isomers do exist, with tantalum-180m being the most expensive substance on earth. The fear during the Cold War was that ballotechnics could be used to create nuclear weapons or serve as a fission-free detonator for a fusion bomb. One kilogram of pure tantalum-180m has up to 900 megajoules of energy stored in the excited states of its nucleons.
Ballotechnics is a speculative and controversial field of nuclear physics that studies ballotechnics nuclear reactions. A ballotechnic reaction occurs when a high-energy nuclear isomer makes a transition to a ground state, releasing gamma rays but not beta or alpha rays. Alpha and beta rays are actually fragments of a nucleus, while gamma rays are pure electromagnetic energy. Since no matter is released in a ballotechnic nuclear reaction, only energy, the substance itself does not undergo a change in mass.
In a high-energy nuclear isomer, the protons or neutrons in the nucleus are in an excited state and the affected particles must undergo a spin change to release their excess energy. Isomers can be made to release this energy, but not all at once: there is no known chain reaction that would cause isomeric energy to be released immediately. Many speculators without training in nuclear physics have suggested scientifically dubious methods, leading some to label the entire field of ballot technique as pseudoscientific.
Carl Collins of the University of Texas at Dallas claimed to induce gamma release in a nuclear isomer in 1991, but his results have never been duplicated, a strong indicator that his particular method is bogus. This incident has cast a shadow on the dance technique field in general. The term ballotechnics was popularized by the inventor of the neutron bomb, Samuel Cohen, who probably also coined the term. The field is so obscure that very few articles can be found on dance technology, and there is certainly no physicist who has based his career around the field.
However, nuclear isomers are a reality. There are at least five stable isomers, including tantalum-180m, osmium-187m, platinum-186m, hafnium-178m, and zinc-66m. The “m” after the atomic number labels the element as an isomer.
Tantalum-180m can be found in small quantities within tantalum-180 and appears to be the most expensive substance on earth, costing 17 million US dollars (USD) per gram! The world supply of tantalum-180m is only about seven milligrams. Tantalum-180m is also the only known metastable isomer with a half-life longer than a few decades. Other isomers have half-lives of a few days or even hours.
Ballotechnics received attention during the Cold War era because people feared it could be exploited to create nuclear weapons or serve as a fission-free detonator for a fusion bomb. A dark substance known as “red mercury” is said to have been the subject of nuclear weapons research by Soviet Russia, and the material is said to have fetched $100,000 to $200,000 a gram. It is speculated that red mercury was one of the stable nuclear isomers.
Calculations suggest that one kilogram of pure tantalum-180m has up to 900 megajoules of energy stored in the excited states of its nucleons, which would make it an excellent energy source if it could be induced to release that energy.
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