When looking at atoms (or anything) in a quantum superposition state, it normally lasts for fractions of a second. These highly unstable states have many interesting applications in a variety of ...

Urbain was first to successfully separate lutetium from its neighbour, ytterbium, so he was given the privilege of naming the element. And being a good Frenchman, he selected the Latin name for Paris, ...

Accurate frequency measurements of a narrow optical clock transition in 171 Yb atoms trapped in an optical lattice establish this system as a serious contender in the quest to develop increasingly ...

The trouble began when yet another element, ytterbium, the one before lutetium, was assigned a revised electronic configuration of 4f14 6s2 as its two outer most orbitals. The configuration of ...

The research shows that there are lots of different elements that can be used for these devices, it doesn’t have to be ...